Nothing But You
by Ordinary magic
Summary: After 6 years as a commoner, Akari is named heir of her father's law firm and thrust back into the world of the rich and obnoxious. With the Host Club thrown into the mix, things are bound to get chaotic...too bad that was just an understatement. KyoyaOC.
1. Ready To Go

**Hey guys, I'm a new author here. Don't hesitate to criticize me. Suggestions for improvement are greatly appreciated. **

**Of course reviews that like my story are very much loved.**

**Flames are not bothered with.**

**Disclaimer:**** Me + OHSHC = I don't own it. Take my OC's and there will be consequences:) **

**Full summary:** After her parents divorce, Akari Shirafuji, age 10 is kicked out of her wealthy and lavish lifestyle and moves with her now single mother far away where she lives life as a commoner. For 6 years she enjoys life as a commoner…that is until her father announces that she is the successor of his law firm. Thrust back into the world of business and wealth, she expects things to get complicated, but when she meets the Host Club and an old childhood friend, life becomes plain hell.

* * *

**Written by: **Ordinary Magic

**Nothing but you,**

**How I wish it wasn't so.**

**-  
**_It creeps in, like a spider  
Can't be killed, although I try and try to  
But don't you see I'm falling?  
Don't wanna love you  
But I do.  
__-Stop This Song by Paramore-__  
-_

**Chapter 1 Ready To Go**

* * *

_You've got these little things  
You wanted something for 'em.  
You'll either get it or guess you won't.  
What does it really mean to get nothing from anyone?  
There's a million ways it could go. _

_**-Ready To Go by Panic! at The Disco-**  
_

* * *

"Ok. Don't panic." whispered a 16 year-old girl to herself. "Its just a school. What's the big deal?" she lied to herself.

The wind whipped Akari's already messy auburn hair all over the place and slapped her right in the face. Grumbling, she took out a hair tie from her pocket, and quickly tied her hair up into a messy ponytail. She knew this probably wasn't the best way to make a good impression. She also knew her mum would give her a lecture on how important first impressions were but at this point she wasn't bothered. She was not in the mood to preen herself, having woken up late and missing breakfast. The grumbling of her stomach was a constant reminder of having neglected it.

Though strangely enough despite the constant complaining her stomach was making, it was just not enough to overshadow her complete and absolute nervousness.

Akari wrung her hands as her hazel eyes looked up at the Ouran High School gates uneasily. The sheer size of them made her feel extremely small. She tugged at her dress, feeling a wave of absolute disgust wash over her when the flash of bright yellow of her dress caught her eye. The dress made her look like a puffed up canary. Akari didn't trust her mum who had said she looked so lovely in the dress and took pictures of her in said dress.

_She only liked seeing me in something besides jeans, _Akari thought grumpily.

Akari gave it one final tug and turned her attention back to the gates which she had yet to enter for fear of all the plausible mishaps that could happen. Because to Akari, first days of anything never seemed to end well for her.

Or start for that matter.

Take for instance, the first day of kindergarten, she had spilled orange juice not only on herself but on the teacher as well. Or the start of third grade when she got a bee sting. Or the first day of middle school when she had kicked the wall out of anger and fractured her toe. So you see it only natural for her to feel anxious. Or rather a little more anxious than what was considered healthy.

But this time, she was determined to make it through the first day.

With her dignity intact and having made a superb first impression.

Even if it _killed_ her.

With that thought in mind, she decided to untie her hair and fix in a neat fashion.

With a deep breath and a heavy heart, she walked through them muttering to herself. "This day is going to be fine," Her feeble attempt to calm herself, hardly made an impact.

Akari entered through the doors and nearly gasped at the sight in front of her. Though to be honest she didn't know why she was so shocked. After all, she did use to live a luxurious life. But she had never seen a school like this in a long time. Its gleaming marble floor, beautiful chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, velvet curtains drawn to reveal flawless glass windows was nothing like the school she had previously attended.

Akari stood at the entrance, grateful to be find no one in the hallway. She glanced at a nearby clock and knew she was late but was not in any rush to get to her class. She was a new student after all and that in itself was a good excuse for her tardiness.

But its not like she wanted to be late, she just didn't have the nerve yet to face her new classmates who were part of an elite society.

Well she was too.

However, Akari was a slightly different case. Which other rich person could say they had spent 6 years with their mother as a commoner and was rather used to the simple lifestyle they had _and_ was not comfortable with the thought that they had to be in the same room as the 'future leaders' let alone talk to them.

Not that she planning on talking to them.

Because she wasn't.

She pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled through her mouth. She there and then decided that if she were to make it out alive in this school, she would at least have to befriend some people, just school friends though, nothing more. She would have to put her cowardice behind her and at least _attempt_. Her shoulders slumped a little as she thought of the possible things that could go wrong which would end with her having no friends at all.

These thoughts were useless of course, considering she was trying to be more positive.

She wondered if she would even have anything in common with her classmates. They had lived completely different lives and might view her as an alien of some sort. She shrugged and decided pondering over it was futile.

Akari had promised herself not long ago that she would not let this whole experience change her. She liked how she had lived and how it shaped her to be the person she was today. With that thought in mind, she soldiered on to her class.

As she walked down the corridor she looked left and right for a sign -_any_ sign- that said 1-A. She sighed as frustration began to build up an and she seemed nowhere near the elusive 1-A. As she walked down corridor after corridor, she saw many beautiful paintings and decor but that was it. Not a soul seemed to present in the hallways. It was not long before Akari realized that she was hopelessly-

"Lost," Akari groaned, "I'm lost." She mentally berated herself for having no sense of direction and not asking for a map from her dad or someone.

Akari sighed in frustration and exhaled loudly. Her bad luck on first days of school was starting to rear its ugly head and Akari could not be more irritated. Too caught up in her dilemma, she didn't notice that there was someone heading towards her direction, straight for a collision course.

By the time she did, all she saw was a head of blond hair and her books flying in the air before she heard a loud thud accompanied by pain.

Akari rubbed her eyes vigorously, until everything came into focus and gently felt around her head to make sure she didn't have a concussion. She looked up, every bit as prepared to yell at the person who caused her to fall. Her glare was met by a pair of eyes who looked at her with nothing but concern. She stiffened.

She just sat in silence for a few seconds as if she had gone dumb. She stared at this guy who was standing above her, dressed in what she assumed was the uniform for Ouran male students of the high school section. His hair was a beautiful golden color and his eyes a sparkling sky blue. Akari just stared at him for never in her life had she seen someone so _godlike_.

Then, as if a brick had hit her on the head, she came to the horrific realization that she was on the floor with an extremely handsome guy looking from above. Akari felt her cheeks burn from embarrassment as words seemed to fail her. She opened her mouth to say something but closed it again.

_Damn._

"I am so sorry, princess," Tamaki apologized as he extended his hand to help her.

Akari eyed the hand uncertainly before taking it. His hand smooth hand enclosed around hers and pulled her up to her feet with what seemed like no effort at all.

She dusted her dress and knowing she couldn't continue to be silent the whole time, lest he think she _really_ was dumb, she opened her mouth and muttered the only thing she could think of, "Thank you."

Tamaki picked up the last of Akari's books and handed it to her, "There is no need for thanks my fair princess for your radiant beauty is enough" Tamaki declared striking a pose, sparkles floating everywhere.

Akari coughed. _Are these sparkles?_

Suddenly in a split second Tamaki had pulled her face close to his, too close for her liking. She for one didn't like people invading her personal space, even if he was as good looking as they come.

"My dear princess I have to assume you are a new student for I could never forget one as beautiful as yourself," Tamaki said, his blue eyes shining.

"Ummm-" she hesitated, "Yes, I'm new." _Is this guy hitting on me? _Akari had no idea how to react. No guy had ever flirted with her in such a bold and open way. This was probably because she came from a place that resided in the outskirts of town where boys were of the innocent farm boy type and not the flirty french type.

Tamaki let go of her face and bowed down, "My name is Tamaki Suoh. And what may I ask is yours, beautiful?"

She hesitated for a moment, wondering if giving her real name might pose as a hazard for her in the future. Deciding to ignore her paranoia, she replied in her best polite voice, "Akari Shirafuji."

"A beautiful name for an even more beautiful girl," Tamaki said charmingly.

"Umm..."

"Words seem to fail you in my presence. It is alright my princess, ask whatever you wish to ask and I will answer it from the bottom of my heart."

Akari just guffawed at him at a complete loss of words. She felt quite weirded out by his demeanor and wasn't sure if she should laugh or be annoyed. Never in all her 16 years of living had she encountered a person as strange as him and she has met some complete weirdos before. However, Tamaki in Akari's opinion was a different class of strange.

_He acts like a prince._ This was all she managed to sum up about Tamaki. She did not mean in a nice way either.

"Tamaki-senpai, where is class 1-A?" Akari asked cautiously. She wasn't quite sure how to act in front of Tamaki and decided the best possible solution was to to get away from him as fast as possible.

"Three doors down the hall on your left," he gestured down the hallway before looking at her again, with a hint a excitement. "My princess, as you are a new student, I would like to invite you to the Host Club, a club my friends and I formed solely to make women happy."

Akari _almost_ laughed at that. She wondered how in the world he could make women happy. Though, she guessed it had something to do with his good looks. There was no doubt in her mind that girls were clamoring over him in this school. Also, if his friends were even half as good looking as him, the girls would rush to this so called Host Club, no hesitation at all. She did feel a twinge of curiosity but quickly stomped it to the ground because she wanted no part in whatever things they did in their club. She was hoping to befriend _normal_ people.

"I'll think about it," she lied through her teeth.

"Wonderful! We work in the Third Music Room," Tamaki said. Without a moments hesitation, he took hold of her hand and brushed his lips against her skin.

Her eyes widened and her cheeks burned again. She could only watch as Tamaki strode away leaving a trail of sparkles floating in the air and leaving _her _speechless yet again.

Her eye twitched, "Who the hell does he think he is?"

* * *

Akari stood right in front of the door that had the sign '1-A' above it.

"Guess he was right."

Akari looked at the door, biting her lip. Her stomach was queasy and her heart was hammering so loudly, she couldn't even hear herself think. She smoothed out her hair, wishing she had spent more time combing it out. It took a few minutes before she finally mustered up enough courage to knock on the door. She heard a shuffling of footsteps before the door opened revealing a middle-aged man. He had dirty blond hair that had been combed and gelled down, pants that looked so outdated, even a fashion reject like Akari could tell it was horrible with a pair of spectacles perched on the bridge of his nose.

He narrowed his eyes at her, "You're late."

She inwardly cringed at the harsh tone of his voice, "I'm new and I don't know this place very well. So, I kinda got lost," Akari said somewhat lamely.

"Well, I trust you don't need a map to find your seat. I am your History teacher, Mr. Ohashi."

Akari stepped in and made a beeline for a seat but was stopped by Mr. Ohashi.

"Aren't you going o introduce yourself?'

She turned and gave him a Do-I-Have-To look. His stern expression was answer enough for her.

Akari gulped as she stood in the front of the class. She never had been fond of being stared at. So it didn't help matters, that this was exactly what her fellow classmates were doing.

She bowed, "Hello my name is Akari Shirafuji."

She didn't feel the need to add an 'Its nice to meet you' because that would be a lie.

"Ms. Shirafuji, you can take a seat diagonal to Mr. Fujioka," Mr. Ohashi said curtly. "Mr. Fujioka, please raise your hand."

Akari saw a feminine looking boy with brown hair raising his hand. Akari made her way to her seat carefully.

_I don't need the embarrassment of tripping over my own feet._

Unfortunately, she did trip on her feet but thankfully she managed to balance herself in time. Hikaru and Kaoru snickered in the background. Akari just rolled her eyes at their immaturity.

"Ms. Shirafuji, this not the time to play the fool. Please hurry up and take your seat."

Akari took her seat, which was right behind Kaoru. She sighed, wondering why she had to get the seat that was right behind the immature guy. She looked down at her books, intending to do so for the rest of the day. Akari vaguely heard Mr Ohashi talking in front, but his voice droned on so much like a robot, that she gave up all effort of even trying to listen. When she did glance up though, she saw Hikaru and Kaoru had their arms draped around Haruhi.

_This place just keeps getting weirder. _Akari aimlessly flipped through through the textbook and slumped down in her chair.

"Ms. Shirafuji, do not slump in your seat. Now I want you to read out loud to the class page 8 of your textbook," Mr Ohashi called from the front of the class.

Akari inwardly groaned.

_So much for a good first day._

**Profile**-cue robot voice

Name: Akari Shirafuji

Age : 16

Physical Appearance: 5'0, long auburn hair, hazel eyes

Family: Father is Tatsuya Shirafuji

Mother is Nanami Kadzuki

Parents are divorced

Social Status: Successor of Shirafuji Law Firm

Place of Residence: Lives with her mother in an apartment

**End Profile**-robot walks away

* * *

**Alright so what did you think? Bad? Good? How to tell me? It's easy. Just click the button below and you can give compliments or suggestions for improvement.**

**Later:)**


	2. Should I Stay or Should I Go?

**Hey again!**

**Before I start this chapter ( Yes! Kyoya makes his appearance) I'd like to give a special thanks to**

**rienaeotaku, Aislinn Love and Lady Katella**

**Thank you so much for reviewing!**

**Disclaimer: ****Me + OHSHC = I don't own it. Steal my OC and there will be consequences.**

* * *

**Written by: **Ordinary Magic

_**Nothing but you,**_

_**How I wish it wasn't so.**_

_-**  
**It creeps in, like a spider  
Can't be killed, although I try and try to  
But don't you see I'm falling?  
Don't wanna love you  
But I do.  
__-Stop This Song by Paramore-__  
-_

**Chapter 2 Should I Stay or Should I Go  
**

* * *

_Always tease tease tease  
You're happy when I'm on my knees  
One day is fine, next day is black  
So if you want me off your back  
Well come on and let me know  
Should I stay or should I go?  
_

_**-Should I Stay or Should I Go by The Clash-**  
_

* * *

Akari stood in the extremely large cafeteria holding her bento box. The place looked like a sea of people. Rich people that is. She should have realized this would happen if she left the class late. She looked around the place and finally spotted an empty table at the far corner of the cafeteria. She made her way towards the table, glad that no one seemed to look her way.

Akari sat down and began stuffing her face with food seeing as she had missed breakfast. Her stomach was all too happy to finally being fed. She looked around the cafeteria while munching on her food and saw groups of friends laughing and chatting while eating. She turned back around and took a sip of water, noting that her table was empty.

Alone.

She snorted. Obviously. Not that she felt sad. She wasn't a pathetic loner. Being alone was not something she was new to. Akari was an only child. Even during her childhood, she had spent some time alone. It did become worse when her parents announced they were divorcing. Things did not improve when she moved to America because her mother had to work late night shifts causing Akari to spend quite a number of nights alone.

But she didn't blame her mum. Akari understood that it wasn't easy for her mum to continue to bring bread to the table. Akari knew that by accepting her dads offer of becoming the successor of the Shirafuji Lawfirm, she would be easing the burden of her mum especially since her dad got her mum a good position. Her mum of course had refused his offer of taking care of their expenses besides Akari's schooling.

Akari inwardly smiled at the recollection of her mum flat out declining her dads offer. _She is so stubborn._

So it was okay. Being alone gave her time to think. To relax. To get away from the selfish and cruel world she had come to know. Times like this, she was used to.

Or at least that was what she tried to convince herself.

"Akari, can I sit with you?"

Akari was jolted out of her musings and turned around to see Haruhi standing behind her, holding a bento box similar to her own. Akari shrugged and said "Sure."

Haruhi took the seat beside her and began eating her food. Akari glanced at Haruhi who was no taller than her. "Where are those twins?"

"I don't know and I don't care," she deadpanned. "There's only so much of them I can take."

Akari nodded, understanding exactly what she meant.

"I heard that you actually lived six years as a normal person."

Akari glanced up at Haruhi and gave her first smile of the day. "Yeah, I did. How did you know?"

"Before you came in, our classmates were already talking about it."

"Oh." Akari closed her bento box, "I suppose I should have known that."

Haruhi sighed and gave Akari a smile, "I'm happy there's someone who understands what normal people think like."

Akari laughed, "Is is really that bad?"

"Our classmates are very nice but their way of thinking is-"

"Is what Haruhi?"

Akari watched as Hikaru and Kaoru took seats opposite them and looked at Haruhi and Akari with curious expressions.

"I suppose its quite normal that commoners would bond, right Kaoru?" Hikaru asked sarcastically.

Kaoru just shrugged, "Technically, Akari isn't a commoner."

"Six years as one is long enough to be considered one."

Akari watched the twins gave identical grins. She tilted her head to one side and replied sweetly, "I still think its better than turning out like you."

Instead of being offended like she thought they would be, they laughed. "This one's got claws!" they said in unison.

"Hikaru, Kaoru, stop bullying her, she's new," Haruhi chastised them.

"When has anything like that stopped us before?" they looked at each other before looking at her with an evil gleam. "We found a new toy."

Their Cheshire grins sent a chill up her spine. She did not have a good feeling about this.

* * *

Time flew by and before she knew it, classes were over. It turner out her classmates were extremely nice people. They were friendly, animated and welcomed her with open arms. They had many questions for her, mainly about her life away from the fortunate.

As soon as the bell rang, Kurakano who seemed to take a liking to her for reasons Akari could not fathom latched onto her arm.

"Akari, since this is your first day I would be glad to introduce you to a club that I think you'll like."

Akari had a funny feeling as she looked at Kurakano. "Is it the Host Club by any chance?"

Kurakano's eyes widened, "How did you know?"

"Well, when I was trying to find the class, I bumped into this blond guy-"

"You met Tamaki-senpai!" a girl standing beside her exclaimed excitedly.

The girls around her begin to talk animatedly. Word like 'charming', 'prince', 'beautiful' and many others floated around.

"You've met Tamaki-senpai already?" Haruhi questioned, blinking her large brown orbs at Akari.

Before Akari could so much as give Haruhi a nod, Kurakano pointed at Haruhi and the twins who standing on either side of her, "Haruhi is in the Host club too and so are Hikaru and Kaoru."

"Huh? You are?"

Kurakano gripped Akari's arm tightly. "That does it! You have to come today and meet the rest." She gave Akari a bright smile, "You'll love them."

Akari tried to pry herself away, "N-no thanks. I don't think its my sort of thing."

All the girls gathered around her. "But you must at least try it once!" one shouted. "You'll definitely come back for more!" another girl giggled.

Hikaru and Kaoru smiled wickedly, "You'll love it Akari!" they chanted. "We promise you," they said, a dark aura forming around them.

* * *

The first thing she saw was light. Blinding light. Akari cursed silently as she shielded her eyes and stepped into the room. Her classmates didn't seem at all fazed but instead got more excited. She tried to silence her warning bells that were ringing loudly and alarmingly.

Slowly Akari's eyes adjusted to the light. She stood in awe at the sight before her. She still had not quite gotten used to the school where everything was so lavish and elegant in every way. Her eyes scanned the room, taking in the pure magnificence of the room and the people in it. Groups of girls were seated at tables gushing over guy/guys who worked their charm.

Then, her eyes landed on a guy who looked awfully familiar. She squinted her eyes against the bright light to see who it was. The image slowly formed onto her retina and was sent to the brain to be interpreted. Her brain interpreted it before shutting off completely from sheer shock. In other words, the sight of this person had made her mind go completely and utterly blank.

She continued to stare at the guy was a dark-haired, bespectacled boy typing away at his laptop feeling a huge knot in her stomach that cinched painfully, making her feel like she was going to throw up everywhere

Her brain took some time before it switched back on and immediately screamed,_ Run Akari! Run like the wind! Run as if your life depends on it! _with her heart yelling along with her brain. But she stood rooted on the spot, legs still trying to get over the shock thus refusing to cooperate with her brains pleas.

A small voice in the back of her head told her she really should have seen this coming. After all this school was defined by its prestigious and wealthy students that attended it. And Kyoya definitely fell into this category. Still Akari couldn't help but have the teeniest sense of curiosity as to WHAT THE HECK HE WAS DOING IN A CLUB LIKE THIS!

Akari didn't want to stick around to find out. After a few more moments of standstill, her body began to function again. Feeling her legs no longer in a state of numbness, she quickly turned and grabbed the door handle, intending to run the hell out before it was too late.

"Princess, you made it!" came an excited voice.

_Too late._

Akari turned around to the blond, her brain desperately working on a rational excuse. Unfortunately, all her brain could come up with on such short notice was, "Yes, but I have to uhh….not be here."

She mentally slapped herself at her stupidity. Tamaki gave her a puzzled look, but it quickly turned to one of charm.

"Tell me princess, was it curiosity that made you come or-" Tamaki took a step forward and cupped her chin, "-was is it me?" Her classmates gave squeals of exclamation.

"I- umm..." Akari answered intelligently, embarrassed and annoyed at him for invading her personal space again. And yet she made a silent prayer that Tamaki's stature blocked her from Kyoya's view.

"What type would you like my princess? Mori-senpai, the 'Wild Type,' Hunny-senpai, the 'Loli-shota Type,' Hikaru and Kaoru, the 'Little Devil Type,' Kyoya, the 'Cool Type,' Haruhi, the Natural Rookie,' Tamaki continued gesturing to the respective people.

"Or would you like me?" he said, drawing their faces even closer. Que more squeals from her classmates.

Shock, annoyance and embarrassment all rolled up in a giant ball of emotions made the common sense wires in her body short circuit. She was extremely tempted to push Tamaki away, snap at him about personal space and walk out but the way her classmates seemed to idolize him, this was probably not a good idea.

"I don't think-"

Tamaki-senpai, you should give her Haruhi. I saw them having lunch together and they seem to get along quite well."

Akari wasn't sure whose voice it was but she was severely tempted to smack the girl. She watched in horror as Tamaki's eyes brightened and pointed towards Haruhi. "Have fun my dear princess."

The moment she left, a few of the girls began clamoring over him. She really wasn't surprised but what did surprise her were the other host club members. She thought Tamaki was strange but there seemed to be from Akari's point of view a whole group of complete weirdos to put it mildly_. _Akari watched in confusion as Hunny was talking animatedly while Mori just sat quietly beside, was shocked by the Hikaru and Kaoru embracing each other in a very _intimate_ way. She didn't even want to look Kyoya's way, for fear of catching his eye.

_The Cool Type?_ Akari though bemusedly. Well, as bemusedly as a girl who still felt like she was going to throw up could.

She'd of course rather jump off a cliff into a pit of ravenous lions than request him.

This was no lie.

"Akari, I guess Kurakano managed to drag you here," Haruhi said with a slight smile.

"Her and the rest of the girls in our class," Akari stated in slight annoyance.

Haruhi laughed. "I'll try to make this as painless as possible." She offered Akari some tea and cakes.

Akari sipped her tea and continued her converstaion with Haruhi while trying to come up with escape plans.

Here were a few she came up with:

**1. Run out of the room screaming.**_ No, that would just attract attention_

**2. Ask Haruhi for more tea and while she got it, she would sneak away.**_ That wouldn't work, Tamaki keeps glancing this way._

**3. Pretend to choke on this cake and get sent to the hospital. **_Alright, that was a stupid idea. I must be desperate. _

Too busy multitasking; Akari didn't notice a figure walking towards her and Haruhi.

"Hello Akari."

Akari froze and nearly choked on her tea at the sound of a familiar voice. True, it was deeper but she could recognize anywhere. For a moment of complete insanity, Akari contemplated on just sitting there and hoped she'd suddenly sink into the couch, away from everyone. This, Akari knew was not likely to happen. So, she decided instead of just sitting like a coward, she should just get up and face him. Taking a deep breath and gathering her calmness which had been so easily shattered by his mere voice, she got up and turned around to him.

She bowed, "Hello Kyoya-senpai." Her left eye twitched, not being used to being so polite to him.

_Act like it never happened._

Akari suddenly felt like everything had become eerily quiet. She glanced sideways and noticed that her simple gesture had made everyone stop whatever they were doing. All the girls stopped blushing and giggling. Tamaki stopped flirting. Hikaru and Kaoru stopped their brotherly love scene. Hunny stopped eating his sweets. And Mori, well... was just his usual self.

Everyone just stared.

"You both know each other?" Haruhi asked curiously.

Akari had never wanted to be hit by a bus more than now. She inwardly sighed and wished she could tell everyone to get back to whatever it was they were doing but she couldn't, so she just kept silent, hoping her emotions weren't spread across her face.

"Yes we do," Kyoya answered coolly.

Everybody turned to stare at Akari, waiting for her response.

Akari gulped and looked to the heavens above, praying for some sort of divine intervention. _  
_

"Yeah," she managed to choke out. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole and stay there for the rest of eternity. But as she sneaked a glance at Kyoya, she noticed the cool composure, the way light bounced of his spectacles preventing anyone from knowing what was really going through his head.

Akari wondered if he had changed at all during their six years apart. She glanced at him and realized that as he towered over her, he had gotten a lot taller. His shoulders were broad and was the lean type of muscular, much like everyone at the host club -apart from Haruhi- Basically, he had gtten really good looking since she last saw him. He was definitely nature done right.

Akari nearly gagged at the very thought._  
_

She noticed a flicker of amusement on Kyoya's face, like he could tell what had just went through her head. She prayed that he didn't.

So as not to lose her cool, Akari pushed that statement to the furthest corner of her mind. She needed to get out of this place as soon as possible before she lost her sanity. Or what was left of it anyway.

Akari bowed again. _I've been doing a lot of bowing today_.

"I'm sorry but I have to go. My mother will be worried if don't reach home soon. Thank you, I enjoyed myself," she lied fluently.

Without waiting for a reply, Akari walked briskly out of the room, breaking into a run the minute she was outside the Third Music Room. A thousand thoughts flew into her head as she ran. The fact that she had seen Kyoya. The fact that this was not the first time she was running away from him. The fact that she knew they would have to meet again but she didn't want it to be now. She still needed to get her act together before that happened.

She kept running and only stopped when the clear blue sky outside was within sight. How she had found her way out of the school, she did not know nor cared. Panting hard, she took a breath of much needed air. After a few minutes, her heart rate slowed down to its normal pace. As she walked out through the school gates, she wondered how long she could possibly avoid him. She quite liked the idea of avoiding him until he graduated. This meant that she couldn't be friendly with Haruhi or Hikaru and Kaoru. Akari decided that the sacrifice was worth it.

* * *

As everyone in the third music room began to return to their normal routines, Tamaki sidled next to Kyoya.

"Mother, who was that?"

Kyoya looked at Tamaki. Pushing his glasses with his index finger, he replied, "Akari Shirafuji. Successor of Shirafuji Law Firm."

"No, I mean who was she to _you_?"

Kyoya looked at Tamaki for a moment before walking away and said, "I hope you're not expecting me to say someone special."

* * *

**Alright there you go chapter 2. Hope you guys liked it. Please do review, I love reviews. They make me feel alive whether they compliment or give suggestions to improve my story.**

**And if you don't review, I'll send Hunny who's been deprived of anything sweet after you. Muahahahaha... So review and I'll stop acting weird.**


	3. The Memory

**Hey!**

**To Luna Light Firefall, yuMeNami, LadyKatella, rebabe, My Hopeless Romantic, and babyhaileyrulesyouall.**

**Thank you for reviewing! I kept smiling like a complete mental case when I read your reviews**

**Disclaimer: Me + OHSHC = I don't own it. Steal my OC and there will be consequences.**

* * *

**Written by: **Ordinary Magic

**Nothing but you,**

**How I wish it wasn't so.**

_-**  
**It creeps in, like a spider  
Can't be killed, although I try and try to  
But don't you see I'm falling?  
Don't wanna love you  
But I do.  
__-Stop This Song by Paramore-__  
__-_

**Chapter 3 The Memory  
**

* * *

_Someone help me  
'Cause the memory  
Convinced itself to tear me apart  
And it's gonna succeed before long  
_

_**-The Memory by Mayday Parade-  
**_

* * *

The floor of the third music room gleamed and the room was dimly lit. The curtain that hung across changing room looked silky and smooth. Akari sat on the floor of this said changing room, wondering how she had gotten herself into her current predicament. She wondered if she was a horrible person and deserved this as punishment. She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself, though anger was beginning to bubble across the surface and make her explode.

She _hated_ her current situation. Maybe, hate was too strong a word for many people but Akari was pretty sure her feelings right now were one of hate. She really wasn't the type to quickly hate everything and everyone. Unless of course she had a good reason. Right now, she felt that her reason was valid and any argument against her was invalid.

The reason? She was currently bound, gagged and stuck in the dressing room of the third music room.

Now, Akari hated a lot of things. Though, she wasn't the type of person who hated things so easily. She was never one to jump to conclusions and hate things so fast.

Perhaps to some fan-crazed girl being tied up by Hikaru and Kaoru was a dream come true but the last time she checked, she was _not_ a fan-crazed girl. In fact, she didn't particularly like them due to the extreme pleasure they found in annoying her. She was sure one day she would be make the headlines for murdering them.

Akari stared up at the ceiling cursing not only Hikaru and Kaoru but also herself for being so ignorant and stupid.

She should have been suspicious when they asked Haruhi to leave and get commoner coffee and Kaoru had _innocently _asked her help in biology. She should have left with Haruhi and not bothered to show kindness. Kindness never seemed to get her anywhere expect bound and gagged by Hikaru and Kaoru. It was obvious to her now that they were trying to get Haruhi out of the picture because she was sure Haruhi would not have approved of their behavior. Then again, no sane person would have. She of course tried to put up a fight but she was outnumbered and she was pretty sure even if there was just one of them, she wouldn't have have won. She was surprised that they were actually that strong.

However, there was one thing that made her see red. As Hikaru and Kaoru dragged her away, she asked them, "Why the hell are you even doing this?"

They looked at her and shrugged, "We're bored."

Akari seethed as she remembered and hit the back of her head against the wall in an effort to calm down. She kept throwing curses around in her head while trying to free herself from the ropes that bound her wrists. She winced coonsiderably as the ropes that bound her hands were beginning to chaff. She twisted her hands about in a desperate attempt to free. After what felt like forever, Akari was finally able to free her hands and proceeded to untie the bandana that was wrapped across her mouth. She rubbed her wrists which were now sore and red.

"I need to get out of here before they come. And when I get home I'll convince mum to let me transfer schools," Akari muttered to herself while mentally picturing tying up the twins and throwing them into a canyon. Akari crawled under the spaces between the dressing rooms, not wanting to walk right out of the one she was trapped in for fear that the twins might catch her. When they had dragged her here she had noticed a side door at end of the row of changing rooms, which was how she planned on making her escape.

The spaces were small and her dress didn't make things easier but Akari persevered, determined to gain her freedom. She crawled on her hands and knees until she was just one dressing room away from freedom. She had half her body through the tiny space when she saw a pair of black shoes. She froze.

"Akari-san! What are you doing!" came the startled voice of Haruhi. Akari looked up to see Haruhi scrambling to cover herself but it was to late, Akari had seen her.

Akari opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. She wasn't sure what to do and decided the best way out was to be polite. She stoop up slowly and bowed, "I"m sorry Haruhi. I didn't mean to do this and you can blame Hikaru and Kaoru." She looked up at Haruhi curiously, "I think you're going a little over don't you think but I have to say they look quite real. Do the others-" Before Akari could finish, two pairs of hands gripped her wrists and pulled her out of the dressing room.

A Few Minutes Later

Akari sat on the ground bound and gagged again with a confused and slightly pissed off look on her face. She fidgeted, feeling anxious as the Host Club were discussing amongst themselves in low whispers.

The entire Music Room was empty as all the customers had left. Akari wondered exactly how long she had been in that dressing room and she wondered if Hikaru and Kaoru would have let her go or just kept her as a pet. Just the thought of them made her blood begin to boil. She tried to send a glare that spelled death up at the Host Club but gave up. Her current position which was on the floor, tied up was no threat to them no matter how harsh and cold her glare was. So, she settled with just sitting down and sulking.

Then all of sudden she felt shadows loom over her. Akari's head snapped up. She felt rather anxious to see The Host Club surround her with serious expressions, completely different from their acts she had seen a few days ago. Hikaru bent down and removed the bandana that was around her mouth but did not untie the ropes around her hands.

"Let me go right now," she hissed.

Hikaru shook his head, a smirk playing on his lips, "No can do."

"What! Why are you guys making such a big deal out of things?" Akari practically shrieked, looking at them confused and down right angry_._

"How could we not! You just found out that Haruhi is a girl!" Tamaki cried, waving his arms in the air.

Akari just stared up at Tamaki in confusion and then shock as what he said finally registered in her brain. "Haruhi's a girl?" Akari yelled.

"Way to go Tono," Kaoru said.

"You just blew Haruhi's secret," Hikaru said.

"Y-you don't know? But I thought...," Tamaki stuttered, trying to explain and failing miserably.

"I thought Haruhi just liked trying on girls underwear!" She looked ta them, utterly horrified, "What are you guys doing to make her do this?"

"For certain reasons that can't be disclosed, Haruhi has to keep her real gender a secret ," Kyoya said in a business-like tone.

Akari scoffed and before she could stop herself, she retorted, "Of course if you're involved, it probably has something to do with money."

She looked up and flinched when everyone was staring at her curiously.

"Aka-chan won't tell anyone, right?" came a sweet voice breaking the silence for which Akari was grateful for until she realized that the voice had called her 'Aka-chan'.

Akari turned around, wondering who would even dare to call her Aka-chan especially since she didn't know any of them personally. She looked into a pair of large and cute eyes that stared into her own and almost smiled at how cute he looked.

"How do we know we can trust her?" demanded Tamaki breaking Akari out of her thoughts.

"I got it! Maybe if we knock her head hard enough, she'll forget this entire thing!" Hikaru yelled.

"What?" Akari yelled even louder before looking at Haruhi in desperation, with pleading eyes, "Haruhi, please help."

Haruhi sighed long and hard. "Could all of you just relax. I'm sure Akari will not tell anyone." She gave Tamaki a glare, "Unlike Tamaki-senpai."

Immediately, Tamaki huddled into a corner and began mumbling to himself. Akari watched in confusion, silently wondering what had happened to the charming and princely character he always seemed to be. However, she noticed, no one else payed him any attention.

"I trust Aka-chan too," Hunny piped up happily.

After a few minutes of silence, Hikaru and Kaoru draped their arms around Haruhi saying, "Weeell... If it's okay with Haruhi, then its okay with us. Mori-senpai, untie her!"

Akari sighed in relief and just sat there as Mori freed her wrists. When he was done untying the ropes, she rubbed her wrists which had become even redder than before. Akari stood up, dusting the dust which had collected on her dress when she was being dragged around but a voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Akari-san, we aren't forcing you to keep this a secret, but if you do decide to reveal it, you will not only have the Ootori group against you but the other host members as well," Kyoya said, smiling pleasantly.

Akari whirled around facing Kyoya, feeling a twinge of annoyance. At the menacing aura that began to surround him, Akari flinched and felt a cold shiver run up her spine. She had forgotten how scary he could be. Despite her fear, her mouth seemed to have a mind of its own and she said, "Give it your best shot Kyoya-senpai." With a small shrug she continued, "Its not like I'm the successor of a large and highly influential law firm that can easily hire a team of lawyers and sue all of you."

There was a moment of silence and Akari was silently relieved that Kyoya hadn't set his private police on her or something. She hoped he wouldn't call on her bluff either. She knew his family could beat any team of lawyers sent their way. Heck, she was pretty sure _he_ could beat them. Deciding not to give Kyoya the opportunity to expose her, she breathed in deeply and looked around at everyone, "This really is none of my business. If you want this kept a secret, then it'll be a secret."

She then looked directly at Kyoya, "So, you don't have to threaten me."

"How can you sue us? We didn't do anything wrong."

Akari's head snapped towards Hikaru and Kaoru who shrugged their shoulders. Her arm twitched, wanting nothing more than to strangle them with her own two hands. They, who had caused her to be in this predicament in the first place. "I'm pretty sure tying and gagging someone is something wrong," she hissed and inhaled deeply as finishing that sentence without screaming required more effort than she realized.

"Hikaru, Kaoru, you both know this is mostly your fault, right?" Haruhi said, glaring at the twins.

"What? What did we do?" Hikaru and Kaoru said feigning innocence.

"Yes! This is all your fault! My daughter is right! She's so smart!" Tamaki exclaimed.

"Who's your daughter?" Haruhi deadpanned.

"Daughter is so cold," Tamaki mumbled, back in his corner

Akari was left speechless and just stared at them and their weird way of interacting."I'll be going now before I get tied up again." With that Akari walked out the Third Music Room, quite happy that she had maintained _some_ of her dignity.

* * *

_A 10 year old Akari was running in the large Ootori mansion, only stopping to look in each room that she passed._

_"Where is that fat-head?" Akari asked herself, extremely frustrated. _

_Today was the day, the day she was to move away. Although she dreaded the very thought of going to a foreign place where people will be staring at you like you're some kind of head-eating alien, she couldn't bear the thought of leaving her mum to start afresh alone. She walked up and down, trying to find Kyoya to say her last if they couldn't form a proper conversation for two minutes without yelling at each other -most of the yelling was on Akari's part- she still felt that needed to say goodbye. Though, she would never admit this to anyone, she actually quite liked him and considered him to be a good friend. _

_Akari stopped outside a room, where she heard voices. She raised her hand, about to knock but stopped midway when she heard her name being mentioned. Akari looked through the door that was slightly ajar, attempting to see who was talking._

_"You and Akari seem very close," said a voice whom Akari recognized as Kyoya's older sister, Fuyumi._

_"We're not close," Kyoya replied._

_"Really? The both of you are always together," Fuyumi said with a smile._

_"We're not always together!" Akari whispered furiously. She leaned against the door to hear better. Some would call this eavesdropping, but she called it overhearing._

_"You know it's only to please father. Her father and ours are business partners. So, spending time with her will get me on father's good side."_

_Fuyumi shook her head, "You're acting like you're just using her"_

_"Maybe I am," Kyoya replied, without blinking._

_Fuyumi and Kyoya turned sharply at the sound of a soft and barely audible gasp. Both saw a pair of hazel orbs staring. Akari and Kyoya's eyes locked for a short moment before her hazel ones disappeared. _

"Why did I have to remember that?" Akari's groaned as she turned over in her bed. She pulled the blanket over her face and tried to get some sleep.

* * *

_"Kyoya! That must have been Akari! You have to catch her and tell her you didn't mean what you said," Fuyumi exclaimed, standing up._

_Kyoya merely stared at his sister,"I would be lying then." _

_"Kyoya! Don't be like that! She's leaving for America today!" Fuyumi walked to the room door not waiting for Kyoya whom she knew would not apologize._

_"There's no point in chasing her," Kyoya said. "Akari's too fast a runner."" _

_Kyoya just watched Fuyumi leave, attempting to catch up with Akari. _

_His gaze lingered for a moment on the door where he had seen Akari's eyes flashing an emotion he didn't catch. Was it hurt? He shook his head, turning his attention back to the book he was reading, ignoring the slight feeling of guilt that crept into his heart._

_Kyoya turned a page of the book, saying to himself, "Akari will understand."_

Kyoya stared at the ceiling while lying down on his bed before closing his eyes and drifting back to sleep.

* * *

**Chapter 3 is done.**

**Alright guys, I hope the whole reason why Akari was acting weird around Kyoya (the flashback) did not come too soon, was not cliché, was not too dramatic, was not lame or whatever. If there's anything wrong with it, tell me and tell if I should change it.**

**Please review review review review review review. Even a short "Good" would be appreciated.**

**Thank you and later.**

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	4. Wonderful World

**Hey!**

**As usual before I start this chapter, thanks goes to**

**LadyKatella, yuMeNami, babyhaileyrulesyouall, My Hopeless Romantic, OMG-its-a-pen, MistFairie93.**

**Thank you so so very much for reviewing.**

**And thank you to everyone who has added this story to your alert and fave story list and adding me to your alert and fave author list.**

**Disclaimer:**** Me + OHSHC = I don't own it. Steal my OC's and there will be consequences.**

* * *

**Written by: **Ordinary Magic

**Nothing but you,**

**How I wish it wasn't so.**

**-  
**_It creeps in, like a spider  
Can't be killed, although I try and try to  
But don't you see I'm falling?  
Don't wanna love you  
But I do.  
__-Stop This Song by Paramore-__  
_**-**

**Chapter 4 Wonderful World  
**

* * *

_I see skies of blue, and clouds of white  
The bright blessed day, dark sacred night  
And I think to myself  
What a wonderful world  
_

**_-Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong-_**

* * *

The sun outside shone brightly and beautifully making Ouran look even more majestic than Small wisps of wind carried sakura petals around the school compound before they settled on the ground with the other scattered petals. This sight was so beautiful that an artist sat outside the school gates painting this perfect view, daydreaming that he's painting would one day be up in an art gallery. Just like the bright outside, the Ouran cafeteria was filled with happiness and joy as it buzzed with the chatter and laughter of its wealthy students. People talked and ate (some with their mouths full) clearly enjoying themselves. But all was not what it seemed for at the far corner of the cafeteria, much further away from the rest of the students, a grey cloud hung above a certain girl who sat at her usual table frowning

_Fuyumi shook her head, "You're acting like you're just using her"_

_"Maybe I am," Kyoya replied, without blinking._

The memory kept playing in her head like a bad home video that just wouldn't go away. As the memory kept playing, she felt a slight ache in her chest. She wondered if she had some sort of heart disease. Akari sighed because he knew she was hurt and no amount of denial could change that. She also knew why she felt this way. It was too easy an answer. She had actually thought Kyoya was a good friend.

That was what she considered him. Sure, they fought. They fought 24/7, day and night, every single second of the day. It was like clockwork. He would be a smart ass, she would get annoyed and finally lose her temper all together. But despite all of this, there were moments, moments when he would actually be there for her in a way that no really had been.

As Akari sat there scowling deeply while picking at her food, she realized Kyoya's actions were very like him. She recalled how Kyoya had seemed perfectly normal and calm when he was talking to her. It seemed as if if didn't affect him at all and Akari was determined not to let it affect her. She wouldn't feel anything about it or _him_. She was prepared to let go and move on. It was for the better really. Only, its a lot easier said than done.

Finally, she picked up her chopsticks to start eating. Unfortunately before she could pop her food into her mouth, two trays of food and bento box plunked themselves onto her table. This of course caused her hand to stop midway and look up. Her scowl which had just vanished only seconds ago, came back deeper than ever when her three new friends had taken the liberty of seating themselves opposite her. Akari narrowed her eyes at them, mostly at the pair of identical twins who were grinning like Cheshire cats.

Ever since she had promised to keep Haruhi's secret, things had been relatively quiet. The twins would occasionally annoy her but it seemed to have lessened and she had not heard nor seen any of the other host club members. She was grateful for all this and was beginning to enjoy the peace. She should have known it wouldn't have lasted long.

"What are you doing?" Akari growled.

"You looked lonely, so we decided to keep you company," Hikaru replied taking a bite of his food.

"I am not lonely. So, do me a favor and get up and walk away so I can enjoy my food in peace," Akari snapped.

"I wouldn't exactly call that food," Kaoru said, looking pointedly at her bento box.

"Yeah, I thought you were rich," Hikaru said with a touch of arrogance.

Akari gripped her chopsticks tightly until her knuckles turned white. _Breathe. Breathe_ was Akari's little mantra at preventing herself from shoving her food right into their faces.

Haruhi who was seated in between the twins nudged both of them in the ribs.

"Ouch!" Hikaru and Kaoru yelped.

Hikaru and Kaoru both sighed and looked away in shame, "Guess you're still angry about the whole tying and gagging thing."

"Wow, we have a pair of mind readers at this table," Akari answered sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"That's why we want to apologize," Hikaru and Kaoru continued, bowing their heads.

Akari nearly spat out her drink at their words and could only stare at them in confusion. She eyed them suspiciously as they looked at her with wide and innocent eyes. She rolled her eyes and noted that they had no ounce of sincerity in their voices. Had they maybe sounded sincere, she would have considered accepting their apology. Then , she looked at Haruhi and that's when she realized Haruhi was the only sane person in their group.

"Haruhi, you told them to apologize right?" Akari said looking directly at Haruhi.

"No! She didn't!" Hikaru and Kaoru said a strike of panic on their faces.

"Yes, I did," Haruhi deadpanned.

"Thought so," Akari picked up her chopsticks which thankfully did break under her grip just moments before and went back to eating her food.

"So, do you forgive us?" Kaoru asked hopefully.

"No," she answered simply.

"What? Why? We apologized!" Hikaru cried.

"Actually Haruhi told you to apologize. So it doesn't count," Akari stated still chewing away.

Haruhi observed the twins cries of protest and Akari who ignored them but she could see Akari near breaking point as her grip on the chopsticks unnecessarily tightened. Haruhi sighed, deciding to give her two cents on the matter before things got bad, "Akari, just forgive them. They can't help being insensitive bastards."

Akari inwardly laughed at Haruhi's blunt choice of words. She couldn't have put it better herself.

Meanwhile, the twins were nodding their heads, "Ya, we can't help being insensitive bastards."

"Fine, fine. I forgive you. Just so you'll stop talking,"" Akari said giving up. _Persistent morons._

"YES!" Hikaru and Kaoru yelled pumping their fists.

Finally unable to contain her curiosity, Akari asked between mouthfuls, "What was in it for you guys if you apologized to me?"

Hikaru and Kaoru draped their arms around Haruhi, smirking, "A trip to Haruhi's house."

Placing her chopsticks back in her bento box she said, "You guys must have been desperate."

Akari got up, having finished her lunch, "See you guys in class." As she got up she gave the three a small smile.

"So she can smile!" Hikaru exclaimed grinning.

"Who would have thought?" Kaoru continued grinning along with Hikaru.

This earned them an eye roll from Akari and a nudge from Haruhi.

* * *

"Hmm...one ply or two ply?" Akari asked herself looking at the two different types of toilet paper neatly stacked and arranged in their respective shelves.

Akari shuddered, "Am I seriously asking that question?" Quickly, she took the two ply and placed it in the basket she was holding.

The supermarket was buzzing as people flitted past her with baskets filled with food stuff. Some were parents with little kids who kept pestering them to buy junk food and candy. The majority however were people who came here by themselves much like herself. She was used to doing the grocery shopping by herself as her mother was always busy with work or just too tired from work that Akari had taken it upon herself to be in charge of their monthly supplies.

Dressed in a plain black hoodie,, t-shirt and jeans, Akari looked like your average commoner and not the successor of an influential law firm. Still, with no one from the board of the company was here or anyone who was rich and influential. So, she didn't have anyone she had to put a show for, something she was quite happy about. Initially, she had pulled her hood up but upon the glances from the more traditional, elderly folk, she pulled it down revealing her her locks of auburn hair to avoid any unnecessary attention.

"A criminal is not something I want to look like," Akari mumbled to herself.

She walked on until she reached the vegetable section. As she began to pick some vegetables she could use later for dinner, she noticed a familiar crop of short brown hair. The said person happened to turn around at that very moment, showing Akari the face of one of her Ouran classmates.

Akari also wore a look of confusion. She never expected Haruhi to be wearing a pair of jeans and a dress-like top considering the fact that Haruhi dressed up like a boy in school. Both did not move for a while in their moment of confusion until Akari smiled, "Hi Haruhi."

Haruhi being her ever blunt self went for a different approach, "What are you doing here?"

Akari blinked, "Duh, grocery shopping. For a person who's always top in class that was a stupid question."

Haruhi frowned, even more confused, "Aren't you rich? Don't you have people to do this for you as the Host Club keeps reminding me that they do?"

Akari laughed slightly and scratched the back of her head. "Technically I am but I'm still living with my mum not my dad. My dad is the rich one and my mum is a working class citizen."

Haruhi blinked, "Oh." Her eyes were thoughtful as she looked at Akari, "Why aren't you living with your dad?"

Akari shrugged, "I'm too used to this way of life. I don't really like living in a mansion." She paused for a moment, "I suppose I soon will have to but you know, baby steps."

Akari suddenly felt a strange sensation on the back of her neck, like someone was watching her. Feeling slightly creeped out, she turned around only to find nothing but air. She scanned the area but found nothing. Suddenly, can of soup fell from a shelf and Akari jumped. This was when a figure swopped down out of nowhere, alarming Akari.

"Haruhi! Who is this?" questioned an extremely loud voice.

Akari took a cautious step backward. After her meeting with Tamaki on her first day of school, she became extremely careful and weary around people who said things in loud voices. Akari looked at the person who stood beside Haruhi and immediately realized that he was a cross-dresser. Though, Akari had to admit that he was a pretty one.

Haruhi sighed but had expected this. "Akari-san this is my father."

Akari just stood there with her mouth agape. However, she quickly recovered and smiled despite herself. "Its nice to meet you Fujioka-san."

Waving his hand and laughing, he replied, "Please, call me Ranka-san."

"Umm...okay, Ranka-san."

_Akari watched Haruhi's father as he fussed over her and she just ignored him and couldn't help but feel that he reminded her of someone but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. but notice the striking resemblance between him and Tamaki. Akari found it a little eerie actually.  
_

Akari snapped out of her reverie when she noticed Ranak-san eyeing her up and down. Akari shifted her leg and scratched the back of her head, feeling quite uncomfortable.

"Is something wrong?" she asked apprehensively.

His eyes were deep and thoughtful as he looked at AKari. "You know, you'll look very cute if you wore a dress instead," Ranka-san said giving her a wide smile.

"Dad! Don't bug her," Haruhi said.

Akari scratched her unitchy head again. "It's okay Haruhi. My mum says the same thing."

"Your hair is really nice but you should put a cute clip in it," Ranka–san said and handed Akari a small bow-shaped clip out of nowhere. "And you should wera clothes like my dear Haruhi's one!" he continued while hugging Haruhi tightly.

"Dad, you forced this on me," Haruhi deadpanned.

"YES! But you look so adorable!"

That was when Akari realized that he was just like Tamaki.

"Akari! I forgot to tell you I want to try a diffrent brand of toilet paper!" came another loud voice, interrupting Akari from her thoughts.

Akari turned and saw a woman who was only slightly taller than her running down the aisle. The woman who had also screamed about brand of toilet paper meaning she had no shame whatsoever. This woman was Akari's mother.

"Mum, please don't scream about toilet paper in public," Akari said when her mother stopped in front of her.

She only laughed at her Akri's sullen voice and ruffled her hair. "You're so cute when you're annoyed." With short auburn hair and hazel eyes, she was almost the spitting of Akari. However, unlike Akri, she smiled and laughed a lot more and her personality more closely resembled that of Ranka-san's.

Nanami stopped ruffling her daughter's hair and noticed Haruhi and Ranak-san standing behind Akari. She walked towards Ranka-san smiling brightly, "I don't believe we've met before. I'm Nanami, Akari's mother."

"I'm Ranka-san, Haruhi's father!" he exclaimed excitedly. "I love your shoes!"

"And I love your top!" Nanami said with a smile. Her gaze shifted to Haruhi, "And you must be Haruhi, Akari's classmate!"

Haruhi bowed, "It's nice to meet you."

Nanami laughed, "No need to be so formal. Oh and call me Nanami!"

Ranka-san smiled brightly, "Haruhi is always very formal."

Nanami smiled back, "So is Akari."

Both Ranka-san and Nanami started laughing while Akari took a step backward while Haruhi calmly continued choosing vegetables. She had a bad feeling that everyone she seemed to meet were loud and eccentric people.

Nanami looked at Haruhi again. "Your daughter's clothes are so cute. If only my daughter would wear something like that," Nanami said sighing dramatically.

"I practically had to force it on her but it was all worthwhile. She looks so cute." Ranka-san said looking fondly at Haruhi.

"I probably should try that tactic too," Nanami said looking at Akari with a glint in her eye.

Akari just looked away and pretended to be choosing vegetables, feeling anxious at the thought of her mother suddenly pouncing on her when she least expected it. She was going to have to keep alert now not only in school but at home too. She just sighed in defeat._  
_

"Dad, I'm going to pay for the stuff," Haruhi stated walking towards the cashier.

"Wait! I'll come too!" Akari ran after Haruhi, not wanting to be left alone with her mum and her new found friend.

* * *

The four of them walked towards the exit. Ranka-san and Nanami laughing while Haruhi and Akari talked. It was a Saturday and Akari couldn't wait to go home and have a relaxing day in the apartment.

The warm fresh air hit their faces as they walked out of the air-conditioned place. The sun shone across the clear blue sky as birds flew by chirping happily reflecting Akari's current mood. She was pretty sure Ranka-san or her mum would invite the other for tea especially since they found out that they only live down the road from each other but Akari didn't mind because she actually quite liked Haruhi due to the fact that she brought some normalcy to her life.

Akari admired the beautiful morning.

No giggling girls.

No Hikaru.

No Kaoru.

No Kyoya.

Everything was so calm and relaxing. Akari felt calm and relaxed. She had almost forgot the feeling of these emotions. For the past week all she had been was tense, jumpy, annoyed, angry, and disappointed. It felt so good to be rid of those emotions and realize that it was a wonderful world.

"Eh? What are those limos doing here," Nanami asked breaking Akari's inner peace.

Akari, Haruhi and Ranka-san turned their heads towards the direction Nanami was pointing where they saw two black and sleek limos parked nearby standing out from the rest of the normal looking vehicles parked near it.

That's when Ranka-san said what neither Akari nor Haruhi wanted to hear, "It must be the boys!"

"Oh hell," Akari muttered.

* * *

**Okay chapter 4 is done!**

**Want to tell me what you think? Then go ahead and review! :)  
**


	5. What You Know

**Hello everyone!**

**Cookies for, **

**Seengot, MistFairie93, yuMeNami, My Hopeless Romantic, hermonine, SS-lover06, OMG-its-a-pen, TheWinchesterAngel, babyhaileyrulesyouall, red-jello04**

**Review Review Review Review Review**

**Disclaimer: ****Me + OHSHC = I don't own it. Steal my OC and there will be consequences.**

* * *

**Written by: **Ordinary Magic

**Nothing but you,**

**How I wish it wasn't so.**

**-  
**_It creeps in, like a spider  
Can't be killed, although I try and try to  
But don't you see I'm falling?  
Don't wanna love you  
But I do.  
__-Stop This Song by Paramore-__  
_**-**

**Chapter 5 What You Know  
**

* * *

_And I can tell just what you want  
You don't want to be alone  
You don't want to be alone  
And I can't say it's what you know  
But you've known it the whole time  
Yeah, you've known it the whole time  
_

**_-What You Know by Two Door Cinema Club-_**

* * *

"Oh hell," Akari muttered.

So much for her perfect Saturday. She was currently standing all alone in a train station having just watched the perfect Saturday train leave her behind and all she could do was watch helplessly as the passengers waved their hands and laughed at her.

She wasn't an idiot. The only rich people who would even bother to come to a place like this, she was sure were the Host Club members. Rich snobs would rather hold their bladders and die of hunger than actually stop at a place like this, and eat a hamburger. Or worse, use the public toilets. Even the Host Club would be thinking along the same lines if it wasn't for Haruhi being a commoner and all. Akari had seen the way the Host Club tried very hard to protect her secret of being a girl at school. She was there after all, bound and gagged. The Host Club obviously didn't want Haruhi to leave.

Haruhi on the other hand did not share the same sentiment right at this moment as she looked at the limos with a face of pure annoyance.

"Don't say hell Akari," came Nanami's automatic response.

Nanami tilted her head to Ranka-san asking, "Who are 'the boys'?"

Ranka-san turned his head s-l-o-w-l-y to Nanami frighteningly starry-eyed, "They are members of the Host Club who go to the same school as our daughters."

Nanami tapped her chin thoughtfully, not in the least bit perturbed by Ranka-san maniac-like expression, "The Host Club? I think I heard Akari grumble about it once."

"Akari could know them too. There are five of them and a bug who considers himself a part of them," Ranka-san pulled a face, "They are all so handsome!" Ranka-san exclaimed, face returning to excited.

"Except the bug," he added, wrinkling his nose.

"Are they really that handsome?" Nanami asked excitedly.

"Handsomer than the devil himself," Ranka-san all but shrieked.

Right on cue the doors of the limos opened simultaneously. Yes, all four doors opened. At the same time. Akari had a slight suspicion that they all secretly had walkie-talkies in their own respective limos to get out together. She guessed that they guessed it would make a bigger impact. Well if that was their guess, they were spot on.

The sun beamed down soft rays of light the minute they got down, as if heaven had reserved a spotlight especially for them. Heavenly light bounced off the shiny sleek surfaces of the limos at exactly the right angles making it look like there were sparkles floating gently around them. Not to mention their expensive looking designer clothes that made them look cool and casual. Though, she was slightly perturbed by the bubbled floating int the background.

Akari jerked her head and saw a few kids running around blowing bubbles.

"I can't tell if they're posing or not," Akari muttered under her breath.

"Why are they here?" Haruhi muttered exasperatedly.

"Obviously because of you," Akari muttered back.

Akari began to notice that girls were stopping mid walk to gawk mindlessly at the six guys who looked liked god sent from the great above to please the mere mortals living on planet Earth, namely the species known as females. Their money being the cherry on the ice-cream sundae.

Akari even saw a girl who was so mesmerized by their mere presence that she didn't look where she was going. Thus, bumping head first into a lamppost. There were even girls who were drooling.

Akari shook her head wondering where everyone's dignity was._  
_

Akari, Haruhi, Ranka-san and Nanami were still rooted in the same place. That was why after casually looking around, -actually it was excitedly searching- Tamaki spotted them or rather spotted Haruhi. Akari guessed all the time he had spent with her had made him develop a finely tuned Haruhi radar.

Everything after that seemed to go in slow-mo. Tamaki and Haruhi locked gazes before Tamaki broke off into a run, arms outstretched and screamed, "My darling daughteeerrrr!"

However, what Tamaki and everyone else did not notice was Ranka-san jumping into the air and delivering a swift kick aimed towards Tamaki.

WHAM!

Perfect shot.

Akari winced at the sheer sound of Ranka-san's kick and knew that the kick must have hurt a lot. She never knew Ranka-san was so harsh but Akari had to admit that was a really amazing kick. Nanami even held up a piece of paper with a big, bold number 10 written on it.

"Thank you," Ranka-san bowed and sneered at Tamaki who was now lying crumpled on the cold hard ground, an obvious bump sticking out from his head of golden hair. He didn't look so cool and casual now.

Akari bent over to poke Tamaki to make sure he was alive but Ranka-san pulled her back.

"Don't go near that pervert! He almost took away my daughter's youth when I had not been home. But thankfully I had arrived just in time to squash this bug," Ranka-san looked into the distance, looking like a soldier who had won a great battle, his foot on Tamaki's back.

"He's a pervert?" Akari questioned while glancing at him.

"He's a pervert? Akari don't go near him!" Nanami grabbed Akari's hand and yanked her back to stay as far away as Tamaki.

Tamaki got up abruptly, "I am NOT a pervert!"

Hikaru and Kaoru appeared at either side of Tamaki, "Yes he is," Hikaru said.

"The worst kind," Kaoru continued.

"How despicable," Nanami said shaking her head.

"He's not a pervert," came the unexpected response from Haruhi.

Tamaki lit up like a Christmas tree, overjoyed that his beloved 'daughter' was defending him. Needless to say, Ranka-san was there to crush his happiness into the ground.

"My poor daughter! So traumatized that she's in denial," Ranka-san hugged Haruhi dearly, sending Tamaki a glare.

The twins nodded their heads agreeing, "Poor Haruhi."

"Haruhi's father, it is not me that is the pervert but those unscrupulous twins!" Tamaki yelled pointing accusingly at Hikaru and Kaoru.

"Now you're blaming those handsome angels!" Ranka-san yelled back. "You lowly creature!"

"Stay away from my daughter, pervert!"

"Ranka-san please calm down."

"Tono is a pervert. Tono is a pervert!"

"I am not a pervert!"

"Takashi, can I have some cake?"

"Ah"

Akari sighed watching the spectacle in front of her, preferring to be a by-stander than an unwilling participant, like Haruhi who looked like she wanted to go somewhere far far far away and never come back. Onlookers were thinking along the same lines as Akari. They stopped midway from entering or exiting the supermarket and watched the scene from a safe distance, not wanting to be caught in the middle of Ranka-san's swinging hands. There was even a group of girls passing around a popcorn box watching the scene with avid anticipation. They were probably hoping one of the host club members would rip off his shirt. This was not likely to happen anytime soon.

"Do they have to make such a scene?"

"You'll get used to it," said a voice causing Akari to jump and nearly drop her shopping bags. She was grateful she didn't or that would have meant having to go back in and buy everything again. Grocery shopping was not exactly the most exciting event in the world.

She turned around and glared, "Please don't do that Kyoya-senpai."

"Did I surprise you?" Kyoya said with a tinge of amusement in his voice.

"Are you trying to be an ass?" Akari snapped. She mentally cursed herself for not paying attention to her surroundings. How could she not notice that Kyoya was not involved in the spectacle with the others?

"You're in no position to talk about making scenes since you did cause one in the host club just a few days ago," Kyoya stated matter-of-fact.

Akari felt her face heat up from embarrassment. Nevertheless, determined not to let Kyoya get the best of her, she replied, "Can you blame me? I was tied up and gagged _and_ not only that a certain idiot tried to threaten me."

Akari's response only served to make his lips form a small smirk, "Still the same, getting angry so easily."

"And I see that you're still a fat-head," It was extremely childish of her to say that but with her annoyance level rising at a fast rate, she just said the first thing that came to her mind.

"You still remember that nickname," Kyoya said raising his eyebrows, now looking her directly in the eye.

Akari immediately averted her gaze to the plastic bag she was holding. She didn't know why but when he said that, it sounded like he was trying to imply that she hadn't forgotten all the small things they said and did when they were kids.

On the other hand, that could be her paranoia talking.

However, she was saved the embarrassment of answering him when her mum's shriek sounded, topping all the noise that everyone else was making.

"Kyoya-kun! Is that you!"

Or rather just delayed her embarrassment.

Kyoya's eyes lingered for a moment more on Akari before shifting his eyes to the older woman who was now walking towards himself and Akari.

"Nanami-san, it nice to see you again," Kyoya said giving a smile, ignoring the snort from the girl standing beside him following his smile.

"It is so good to see you," Nanami said smiling like never before. She then turned towards Akari frowning, "Honey, why didn't you tell me Kyoya-kun was in your school?"

Akari shrugged, "You never asked."

Nanami sighed at her daughter's response but perked up quickly when Ranka-san's voice came.

"You know Kyoya-kun?"

Akari watched horrified as everyone began walking towards them. The onlookers were already dispersing, now that the show was over. The group of girls sighed and gave the handsome host members one last wistful look before walking away.

_Shit shit shit, _was all that came to Akari's mind.

Nanami was the exact opposite. She looked at Ranka-san happily, "Yes I do!"

"Well who would have thought?" Ranka-san exclaimed. "But how do you and Akari know him?"

Akari was horror-stricken. _Please don't tell them! _she thought, desperately trying to convey her thoughts to her over-exaggerative mum but to no avail.

Nanami giggled, "Akari and Kyoya-kun knew each other since their diaper days. Thats how I know him. They always spent a lot of time together when her father and his father discussed business plans." she explained looking quite love-struck for Akari's part since all Akari did was scowl and stare at an imaginary spot on the floor, trying to resist the temptation of running away screaming.

"Oh my! Is this true Kyoya-kun?" Ranaka-san looked at Kyoya.

Kyoya smiled, "Yes, we did know each other."

_Damn you! _Akari inwardly cursed Kyoya.

"How romantic!" Ranka-san exclaimed going starry-eyed.

"R-Romantic?" Akari spluttered.

Tamaki went up to her, "Ranka-san is right. It is romantic! Two friends united after years away from each other," Tamaki looked at Akari then at Kyoya and finally back at Akari, nodding his head, "Yes, you both are very suited for each other."

Akari's cheeks turned a delicate shade of pink but annoyance soon got the better of embarrassment. She raised her hand and whacked him on the head, "You're better when you're mouth is closed."

"I couldn't agree more. Besides, no asked your opinion, bug," Ranka-san looked coldly at Tamaki causing Tamaki to go to his Corner of Woe.

Haruhi looked at Akari curiously, "You never told me you and Kyoya-senpai were friends."

Akari groaned._  
_

Nanami looked Kyoya up and down, "Ah Kyoya-kun, you've grown into such a handsome young man, hasn't he Akari?"

Akari just sent an annoyed glance at her mother, letting her silence answer the question."

Kyoya smiled, "You are looking very beautiful yourself, Nanami-san."

Nanami smiled waving her hand, "Oh Kyoya! Always the gentleman."

Akari coughed loudly at this which caused everyone to look at her.

She cleared her throat, smiling sheepishly, "Sorry, frog in my throat."

Smiling gently, Nanami asked, "Well Akari aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?"

"They're not my friends."

Nanami sighed. "Well then Ranka-san could you introduce me to them?"

"I'd be more than happy to," Ranka-san answered.

He gestured to Kyoya, "Of course you already know Kyoya-kun."

Ranka-san skipped over to the twins, "These two are the devilishly handsome Hitachiin Hikaru-kun and Kaoru-kun. Ooh...which one is which?"

He then directed Nanami's attention to Mori and Hunny, "Tall, dark Morinizuka Takashi-kun and cute, adoroable Haninozuka Mitsukini-kun."

Ranka-san went over to Tamaki, "Last and least, Suoh Tamaki-kun or as I like to call him, 'bug'."

Nanami nodded smiling widely at Ranka-san, "You were right they are all so handsome!"

Ranka-san grinned, "I told you."

"Oh Akari I can't believe you didn't tell me that you had such handsome friends."

Akari scowled, "Define friends."

BEEP. BEEP.

Everyone watched as Nanami rummaged through her handbag and took out her hand phone. She looked back at everyone, smiling apologetically, "I'm sorry but I've got to go. I have an appointment with Amy my hairstylist."

"You mean Amy from Cutting Edge! I was going to go there too!" Ranka-san shrieked.

Nanami smiled brightly, "We can go together then!"

"Wonderful!"

Before anyone could even blink, Nanami and Ranka-san had already jumped into Nanami's car and sped off after giving their daughters a hug and waving goodbye.

"No wait! Don't go!" Akari shouted but it was too late, the little blue car had already sped off and soon became nothing more than a little black spec, leaving Akari and Haruhi to their own devices. But it was probably better this way or else Nanami would end up telling everyone about her daughter's embarrassing but cute moments of when she was a baby. However, Akari realized that the host club were perfectly capable of making her feel uncomfortable without the help of her mum or embarrassing baby photos. This was proved by the twins.

Hikaru and Kaoru looked at her raising their eyebrows, "Akari, what are you wearing?"

"Whats wrong with what I'm wearing?" Akari looked down to her clothes playing dumb but knowing perfectly well where this was going.

Hikaru tutted, "Your mum was wearing plain but tasteful clothes and here you are wearing-"

Kaoru tugged at her clothing material, "-a complete fashion disaster."

Akari wasn't sure whether to punch them or roll her eyes. This was so typical. Her mum was wearing a skirt that flared out with beautiful top while all she was wearing was her hoodie, t-shirt and faded jeans. Any ignoramus could tell who was more fashionable.

And her mum wasn't those types who were beautiful but had horrible personalities. The opposite actually. She was the type who made you feel like she was your best friend and you could tell her anything. Combine the two together and you get a flock of single guys asking her out.

Whereas her daughter? Oh sure Akari did have the same hair color and eyes as her mum but it wasn't the same. Her mum's hair glowed and eyes shone and glittered. She also had this smile that dazzled. Akari however, had hair that was constantly tied up in a ponytail and eyes that was mostly used to glare at people.

In conclusion, Akari and her mum were complete opposites. Akari was used to these kind of comments and usually just shrugged them off.

"Whatever," Akari answered. It rolled off her tongue so easily like a reflex. She turned around and walked away from them, combat boots clunking against the ground, wanting to go straight home. Hikaru and Kaoru were having none of that.

"Where do you think you're going?" Kaoru said appearing in front of her.

"Home. Now get out of my way," Akari tried to go around him but Hikaru blocked her way.

"Wait, before you do that-" Hikaru said.

With that, Kaoru had sneaked up behind her and pulled the elastic band holding her hair in a ponytail so that it snapped and her hair hair fell past her shoulders.

"Much better," Kaoru said with a satisfied smile.

Akari exhaled, deciding to ignore the both of them and tried to walk away again only to be blocked by the both of them. "Move," she snarled.

They smirked, "We have a better idea."

* * *

Akari sat in the limo heading to Haruhi's house fidgeting. The smell of leather was strong and somehow nostalgic. She hadn't ridden in a limo in a long time. It brought back some old memories. She, her mum, her dad...

Her trip down memory lane stopped short when she realized she was supposed to be down right pissed off. Okay, she didn't mind going to Haruhi's house. Okay, so she would have preferred to go without the host club. But what made her really ticked off was that after Hikaru announced that they were going to Haruhi's house, she had blatantly refused to go. That's when Tamaki snapped his fingers and she felt herself being carried by Mori and then put into a limo.

But that wasn't the worst part. Not even close.

She was put into Kyoya's limo. She knew they did that on purpose. It didn't take a genius to figure out that much.

So far, neither Akari nor Kyoya had uttered a single word. Akari stared out the window and watched the houses from the neighborhood she lived in pass by in a blur. The trees just became green blobs among the shades of grey cement with an array of colors from the clothes of the people the limo passed. _Like a jumbled up rainbow _Akari mused. It was good to have something to concentrate on rather than to have the deafening silence ringing in her head.

"How have you been Akari-san," Kyoya asked, his voice breaking the silence at that precise moment and strangely sounding a lot closer than he should be since he was supposed to be on the other side of the limo.

Akari took her eyes off the passing houses and turned her head. She nearly yelped when she saw that he was now less than an arms length away, eyes giving her an intense look. He was close enough that she could his pupil in his grey irises, see the way his eyebrows curved elegantly giving him a defined look, see just how black his hair was. Maybe that why she instinctively scooted back until she realized that she couldn't, already at the far end of the limo. If she wanted to give more distance between them, she'd have to jump out. A tempting thought at the moment.

"I-I've been okay," she stuttered. _Damn do I always have to stutter._

"Really? You didn't seem so fine just now when Hikaru and Kaoru made that comment," Kyoya contradicted.

He was doing it again. Reading her like an open book. Even when they were young, he would always know what was going through her head while everyone else had no clue. She did have her moments too but she wished he wasn't able to see through her so easily. She had always resented him for his ability to do so.

"I'm fine. That didn't really affect me. I've been far more disappointed with other people," she said icily.

"Is that so? Well you should know that people sometimes do things that they have to," Kyoya answered calmly.

Akari felt a spike of anger, "I'm sure those people didn't have to what they did."

Kyoya looked at her from the other side of the limo passively, "Sometimes they have no choice."

She rolled her eyes, "Everyone has a choice, Kyoya-senpai."

"You of all people should know that isn't the case in the business world."

There was a pause, a moment of silence that seemed almost painful. All that she could be heard over the purr of the limos engine was her own breathing. She just stared at him for a moment and remembered the days when they were younger. She still could remember his father who was strict towards him even when he was young. She looked at him and a small part of her understood why he said what he said.

After what seemed like eons she was finally able to find her voice, "No, I wouldn't."

Kyoya corrected his glasses and gazed at her for a moment. "But that doesn't make it the right thing to do."

She looked at him confused, "What are you trying to say?"

Kyoya sighed in irritation that she still didn't get it. "What I'm trying to say is-"

"Kyoya-sama we are here," interrupted the driver.

"You know what Kyoya-senpai, its okay. I really would rather not hear it," Akari said while turning her back and opening the door. She was surprised when he grabbed her wrist and leaned in towards her, "I'm sorry."

Akari felt her heart stop at those simple words. Those words she never thought Kyoya would ever words that made her mind race as a thousand and one questions ran through her head. Ones she couldn't even begin to answer as she stepped outside.

She suddenly felt someone tugging at her sleeve. Akari looked down to see Hunny frowning. "Is something wrong Aka-chan?"

Akari shook her head nimbly. Hunny didn't look like he believed her but smiled brightly all the same, "Well then let's go!"

She let herself be pulled out of the limo by the small senior. Everything seemed so blurry. Voices murmured around her like bees buzzing but she paid no attention to them. So many questions , too little answers. Did he feel pity for her? Did he just want to reconcile with her because she was the successor of a law firm? Would it just bring more benefits for himself? But most important was

'Did he mean it?'

* * *

A part of her mind yelled 'No he didn't!' The part that wanted to stay in her safe circle, without going past the so wanted to believe that part of her mind. It would be so much more easier. To ignore an unfamiliar tug at her heart, knowing that he had realized what he did years ago was mean. To just not care. To just pretend.

But he had apologized. She knew he had a lot of pride so for him to apologize was just so unlikely. But he had. Was that all that mattered?

The mixture of feelings and thoughts that swam in her mind was becoming overwhelming. Thats when somewhere deep inside, a part of her voiced its opinion, managing to drown out everything else.

Haruhi unlocked the front door of her apartment and proceeded to go in not even bothering to welcome the Host Club in, knowing that they would enter anyway which was exactly what they did. Akari hesitantly entered the apartment and looked around. She smiled slightly at how similar it was to her own home. With a small smile, she entered the living area, feeling quite comfortable.

Akari stood still for awhile, feeling strangely happy at how much the apartment reminded her of her own. It was average sized, just right for a family of two. The living room consisted of a small television set along with a table and cushions around the table. The kitchen was small with only the basic necessities. The soft smell of wood completing its homey feel.

Akari heard a few bumps and crashes, jolting her out of her trans-like state.

"I had forgotten how small this place was."

"Ouch."

" The light is still hanging there?"

"It seems we have underestimated the dwelling of commoners again!" Tamaki said looking serious.

"Everybody get into your P.E. sitting positions, the method commoners invented to save space," Tamaki continued.

Akari watched frowning as the host club members hugged their knees in an effort to save space. She for one had thought that were raised to be more polite than that. Either they have been ignorant of the way commoners lived or they were just plain dumb. She decided it was the latter.

"I'll be making tea then," Haruhi said through gritted teeth, vein throbbing on her forehead and headed towards the kitchen.

Akari suddenly felt a huge surge of pity for Haruhi._  
_

Tamaki pulled the twins forming a small circle, "Remember, we are in the commoner world now. We must not say anything anything that may hurt or embarrass Haruhi. Whoever who embarrasses Haruhi first, loses!"

"Yes!" the wins answered looking dead serious like Tamaki.

"You developed it into a competition again?" Kyoya asked.

Akari took a seat next to Mori, "All you guys have to do is not say anything stupid."

"Which is why we invented this competition," Kaoru stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Akari rolled her eyes, "Idiots." She looked around the apartment curiously. "Actually this place is a lot like mine."

Tamaki, Hikaru and Kaoru gave her horrified expressions.

"What are you doing living in this tiny kind of place when you're rich?" Hikaru and kaoru asked incredulously.

Tamaki hugged Akari while tearing slightly. "She appreciates the commoner way of life. You'll be a very good companion for Haruhi as her fellow commoner."

Akari pinched Tamaki and completely ignored his cry of pain. "Please don't hug me ever again."

Haruhi came in holding a tray of cups, "Here's your tea." After everyone had got their tea, Haruhi took a seat next to Akari.

"Haru-chan and Aka-chan can choose their cakes first!" Hunny said smiling sweetly.

Akari looked at the variety of cakes set on the table. _No doubt its all high-class_. Haruhi picked out a tasty-looking cake with numerous strawberries on it while Akari stared blankly at the cakes.

Hunny tilted his head, "Don't you want any cake, Aka-chan?"

Akari looked up and gave Hunny an apologetic look, "I'm sorry Hunny-senpai, but I'm not a fan of sweet stuff."

Tamaki shot up from his seating position, knees knocking against the table causing the cups of tea to tinkle, "Akari is just like mother!"

Akari looked at Tamaki incredulously, "Mother?"

Tamaki jumped on Kyoya, hugging him, " Yes! Kyoya is the mother and I am the father!"

Akari didn't say anything. Slowly a smile crept onto her face. The smile turned into a grin. The grin turned into a chuckle. And the chuckle turned into a full blown laugh.

Everyone watched dumbstruck at the girl who always wore a scowl whenever around them but was now rolling on the floor clutching her sides, laughing like there was no tomorrow.

Akari wasn't sure what was funnier, the fact that Kyoya was known as mother or his annoyed face when Tamaki hugged him. After a few minutes of non-stop laughter, Akari sat up straight, out of breath from all the laughing. She wiped away the tears that had formed and looked at everyone again.

"I'm sorry. But Kyoya-senpai a mother?" Akari shook her head in disbelief.

Kyoya coughed and shoved away Tamaki to the floor, "Yes, well I'm happy you found that to be amusing."

Akari smiled, "_Very_ amusing."

"Aka-chan you look so pretty when you smile!" Hunny said bounding up to her and giving her a more cuter sugary version of her smile.

Akari turned pink at the unexpected compliment, "Um, thank you Hunny-senpai."

"I should've have said that to my niece!" Tamaki suddenly yelled banging his fists on the ground.

"Who you calling your niece?" Akari said all traces of a smile gone.

* * *

Kyoya walked back to the limo after a day of complete chaos. Tamaki yelling being the main cause. He got into the limo and smirked at the auburn-haired girl who sat on the other side, arms crossed angrily, with a huge scowl on her face.

Tamaki had once again ordered Mori to put Akari into his limo. She had put up a good fight, saying she would murder Tamaki when she got her hands on him. This was enough to make The King shudder and hide behind Haruhi but not enough to make him tell Mori to put her down.

Closing the door behind him, he asked Akari, "Ready to go?"

Akari's response was a death glare sent in his direction.

"Driver, take us back to Akari-san's house."

"Yes, Kyoya-sama," the driver replied. He started the engine and soon the limo was on the road, heading to the place Akari called home.

"This is all your fault."

Kyoya looked over to Akari who was glaring his way. Playing ignorant, he questioned, "Pardon."

"This is all your fault," Akari repeated menacingly.

"I fail to see how this is my fault."

She narrowed her eyes. A vein popped and throbbed on her forehead, "How can you not see it? If you didn't tell everyone we knew each other way back when, Tamaki-senpai wouldn't have ordered Mori-senpai to chuck me into your limo!"

"So you expected me to lie."

"Not lie! Just..."

Kyoya quirked an eyebrow, "Yes?"

"I don't know! You're the manipulative one!" Akari half-yelled flailing her arms in frustration.

"I still fail to see your point."

All the while the conversation between them was going on, Akari had unconsciously edged closer to Kyoya. Kyoya who of course noticed this did not say anything about it. She poked a finger into his chest, "You're a bastard you know that?"

"At the very least I'm not an idiot like you," Kyoya watched amusedly as she frowned. She opened her mouth ready to throw a few scathing words but closed it shut. It was like she was struck by a lightning of realization. Realization that she was a little too close to Kyoya. Anger and annoyance had once again blinded her common sense.

Kyoya calmly smirked, "Is something wrong Akari-san?"

"No," Akari said, her voice an octave higher.

Kyoya bent a little closer as she leaned away, "Are you sure?" The amusement in his voice was as clear as day. He knew exactly the right buttons to push when it came to Akari.

Placing her hand on his chest, she pushed him back, "L-like I said, nothing is wrong."

"Kyoya-sama we are here," came the monotone of the driver saving Akari from stuttering her way out of her current predicament.

She bounced her way towards the end of the limo, happier than she had ever been to be home. Without looking at Kyoya, Akari said, "See you."

Kyoya grabbed her wrist for the second time that day. However, this time she wasn't surprised, having known he would do turned to driver while still having a tight grip on Akari's wrist. "Wait here for awhile," he instructed the driver.

"Yes, Kyoya-sama."

Akari didn't even put up a fight as Kyoya pulled her away from the limo, knowing full well that he was much stronger than her. As soon as he let go of her wrist she just looked at him, blinking her eyes innocently, "Is there something wrong Kyoya-senpai?"

"Akari I'm not going to apologize again."

She just smiled. "I know you won't. I'm surprised you actually did in the first place considering how heartless you can be sometimes." She paused, "And a money whore and egotistical and selfish and-"

"Is there a point to this?" Kyoya cut her off.

"Look, I know how you were before you joined the host club. You were different, constantly unhappy because you always had to pretend to be nice and not show your true talent when that's not who you were. And I have to admit that I felt quite special because you were only yourself around me. So, when you said that I was upset because I thought I had you figured out."

Kyoya raised an eyebrow. "You really thought you knew me."

Akari looked up at Kyoya and shrugged, "Its because I did and I still do. I didn't realize it at the time because what you said hurt me but I know now."

"What exactly do you think you know?"

"That you didn't mean it." She smiled before continuing, "You like to pretend like you don't care-"

"What if I really don't?"

Akari searched Kyoya's face but all she got was a blank slate as he stared her, waiting for her answer. A small amused smile played on her lips, "You do and that's all there is to it. I think Tamaki-senpai changed you into the person you are now."

"Which is what exactly?"

"Evil," she paused and watched his amused expression before continuing, "And also happy."

"That is quite an interesting view you have."

Akari sighed and whirled around. "I'm taking that as you agreeing with me. You finally have real friends Kyoya." She glanced back at him over her shoulder, "Including me."

Kyoya just smirked, "Well, I'm glad you accepted my apology. I made the assumption that you would have yelled at me."

She glared at him, "What is that supposed to mean?" She narrowed her eyes, "Are you saying I have a bed temper, you sadistic bastard?"

"I hardly think I'm a sadistic bastard."

"Money whore."

"You've already used that. Run out of insults already?"

"No! I've got plenty more."

"Give me one."

"..."

"Pathetic."

Akari rolled her eyes in an attempt to cover up the fact that she had run out of insults. "Whatever." She stormed off, away from Kyoya and up to her apartment. Though as she walked away, she couldn't help but be reminded of when they were younger as this was how it usually played out whenever they had their usual arguments, with him perfectly calm and she would be the one raging. She also remembered of how it would never last and they would just lie down on the grass later and look up at the sky.

Reflexively, she looked up at the sky and glanced over and saw Kyoya doing the same thing as he walked over to his limo.

Akari couldn't help but smile. "Arrogant bastard."

* * *

**Longest chapter to date. Hope it wasn't a bore. This chapter is thanks to my wonderful reviewers who pressured me to update sooner. Hehe I'm kidding.**

**I didn't want Tamaki to call Akari daughter because I feel that title is reserved only for Haruhi. I also hope the whole apologizing and forgiving thing didn't come too fast. I didn't want to drag it on with "Oh why won't he apologize! I feel hurt!" yada yada yada. I really want future chaps to be more on developing their feelings than dragging on their past.**

**Please review.**

**See you in the next chapter!**


	6. Changes

**Omigosh! I'm so, so sorry. My lateness is unacceptable. I'm sorry but I had major exams. Truthfully, writer's block was the main cause. I hated it. Writer's block sucks.**

**I actually had a rough draft for this chapter a long time ago but I didn't how to expand on it. Damn writer's block!**

**Hope all of you can understand.**

**Thank you to reviewers,**

**yuMeNami, Chaseslover01, Narnialover, EvanescentDream93, babyhaileyrulesyouall, Kei-Ten, OMG-its-a-pen, 13Lulu's, tuxie13, My Hopeless Romantic, BumbleBeexDannilea,  
and AKA. Girl.**

**Disclaimer: ****Me + OHSHC = I don't own it. Steal my OC's and there will be consequences.**

* * *

**Written by: **Ordinary Magic

**Nothing but you,**

**How I wish it wasn't so.**

**-  
**_It creeps in, like a spider  
Can't be killed, although I try and try to  
But don't you see I'm falling?  
Don't wanna love you  
But I do.  
__-Stop This Song by Paramore-__  
_**-**

**Chapter 6 Changes**

* * *

_Changes, never been good with change  
I hate it when it all stays the same  
caught between the gold and the game  
Changes, never been good with change  
I hate it when it all stays the same  
caught between the cold and the waves  
My heart beats up, again_

**_-Changes By Stars-_**

* * *

Alarms began their duty, waking their owners in a rather unflattering manner to start another day. Tress gently swayed in time with the gentle breeze that came now and then. The sun that peaked over the horizon coloring the sky intense hues of orange and red mixed with a lovely blue was the sight that greeted two girls running through the neighborhood.

Akari's shoes pounded out step after step on the cold, gray, pavement. She could hear her ragged breathing even though she was barely halfway through the jog. She wiped away a drop of sweat that trickled down her forehead with the back of her hand. There were still some running to go before she reached her house but she didn't feel the need to rush or else she might just collapse.

Running right off the bat was definitely not a good idea.

This was not her idea. Repeat, this was _not_ her idea.

There were only two people to blame for this.

Person number one, her mum. Not that this was unexpected. Her mum had been known to land her in rather troubling circumstances.

_Go running around the neighborhood mum said. It will be good for you mum said._ She pictured her mums encouraging face assuring her that she would come back from the jog, happy and all Akari could think was, _Yeah right._

"Ooh...the sunrise so pretty. I still prefer sunsets," cooed a feminine voice.

And her.

Person number two, Kanako, her next door neighborhood. Bribed by Nanami's home-made brownies was all it took for Kanako to drag Akari out of bed and jog along with her.

Akari looked at the 18 year-old girl who wore a pair of faded shorts and a green 'Veggie Mafia' t-shirt, running beside her. When Akari first met her, all she could think was how beautiful Kanako was. She had dark brown hair with blond highlights and smaller red highlights that were only noticeable when they caught the light. Her eyes were an emerald green that always had a glint to them.

"I'd appreciate the sunrise even more if we stop for a while," Akari answered, glaring at her. Her glare more pronounced since she was lacking in sleep.

"We just stopped a while ago," Kanako responded serenely.

"Yeah, well, not everyone is as fit as you," she shot Kanako a sarcastic look. "Not everyone does yoga either."

Kanako shot her a sarcastic look back, "Not everyone is as grumpy as you." She raised an eyebrow as they rounded a curve, "Besides if you didn't want to jog you could have done yoga with me."

Akari looked pointedly at her, "Stop poking fun at me. You _know_ I'm not flexible."

"Both physically and mentally," Kanako muttered.

She narrowed her eyes, "I heard that."

"You were supposed to," Kanako said. "Besides, a little exercise won't hurt you."

"You're right. "

Kanako looked taken aback then smiled smugly, "I'm happy you see it my way."

"It won't hurt me," Akari continued. "It'll just kill me. When I die you stay away from my funeral."

Kanako rolled her eyes, "Don't be such a drama queen." She grinned, "Or you'll end up like me."

Akari flicked off imaginary sweat from her forehead, "Phew! Thanks for the warning!"

The grin on Kanako's face grew wider, "See, you're having fun."

"You call jogging fun?" Akari questioned incredulously.

Admittedly, Akari was having a good time. Besides the breathlessness and aching of her feet, things were going pretty well. She couldn't remember the last time she had fun with a girl without being bombarded by questions about Kyoya. Somehow, all the girls in her class had found out that she and Kyoya were childhood friends. And by somehow, Akari was pretty sure it was Hikaru and Kaoru that were responsible. They after all were responsible for most of her misery nowadays. The girls were everywhere. The classrooms, the corridors, the library, the computer room, even the toilet with their constant questions about Kyoya which drove her to the point of near insanity.

_"How did Kyoya look like when he was younger? I bet he looked sooo cute!"_

_"Did he like to eat sweets when he was younger because now he doesn't."_

_"Did he have any stuffed animals? A teddy bear, maybe?"_

_"Was he smart, even then?"_

Then there were the compliments,

_"You are sooo lucky to know him since young."_

_"I wish he would call me by my first name like he calls you."_

_"It must be nice having him as childhood friend."_

_"You have the most chance of getting married to him."_

Akari shuddered at the last sentence every time she remembered it. That was the cause of a few of her nightmares. That, coupled with Hikaru and Kaoru obnoxious laughter when they heard this particular girl who happened to be a hopeless romantic had said it with such soft wonder and awe.

Kanako snapped her fingers in front of Akari's face, "Hello? Anyone home?"

Akari blinked, "Huh?"

She sighed, "I said, yes, jogging is fun my dear lazy friend."

"I'm not lazy. Mostly." She paused, "But this is a lot more fun than spending time at school."

Kanako avoided a big rock by jumping over it, "You go that school for the rich right?" She snickered, "So, how are the rich snobs? Spitting diamonds yet?"

"No, not yet. They are quite annoying." She scowled, "Mostly its the girls that scream for the Host Club and the Host Club themselves."

"Host Club?" Kanako asked arching an eyebrow.

She hesitated, "Its a group of guys who entertain girls."

Kanako gaped at her, "What! Thats disgusting!"

Akari frowned before she blinked in alarm, "No! Not like that! They have tea with the girls and talk."

_"A beautiful name for an even more beautiful girl."_ She remembered Tamaki's words on her first day at Ouran.

"And flirt," she added. "Annoying but harmless."

"Oh," Kanako replied. "So, have you gone for it?"

Akari wrinkled her nose, "Yes, once. Never again."

"Never guessed you were the type to go for something like that," Kanako said, the glee barely suppressed from her voice.

"It wasn't excatly by choice," Akari barked. "It was coercion."

A snigger escaped Kanako, "So the screaming girls? These Host people must be handsome for girls to be screaming."

"Yeah I suppose. You know if you into the whole rich bastards thing."

"Too bad I'm not. Technically you're rich too. I wouldn't be surprised if you ditched for Prada-wearing she-devils." She smiled slyly at Akari, "Or who knows fall for one of the Host guys."

Akari looked at Kanako horrified, "As if!"

Kanako laughed, "Oh my god! You should have seen your face." Kanako imitated Akari's expression and burst into peals of laughter.

"Are you done?" Akari snapped once the laughter had died from Kanako's throat.

Kanako breathed in deeply, a wide smile still etched on her face, "Don't take it seriously, I was joking."

"Good. Cause that will never happen," Akari grunted.

They ran along in companionable silence for a while. Unlike most who felt the needed to fill up silence with tittle-tattle, the two girls were perfectly fine with their moment of peace that the need to fill the silence with chatter was not felt between them. Akari liked the feeling. For so long there have always been awkward silences between her people that this was a nice change.

"So, you know my birthday's coming up-" Kanako started.

"Its for a very, very, very long time," Akari corrected.

Pause. "A birthday is still a birthday. You know those jeans I like?"

"Yes. The one you keep going on and on about." She sighed, "I don't where this is going, but it can't be good."

"I was thinking how about you get me them." Kanako said deviously. "Cause its so expensive and I'm so poor, I can't afford it and you being the kind soul that you decides to it for get me as my birthday present." She stuck out her bottom lip in a mock pleading pout.

"Don't hold your breath. You get brownies and nothing else," Akari deadpanned.

"Had a feeling you'd say that," Kanako laughed. "You want to know something Akari?"

She looked at Kanako wearily, "What?"

"I like you. And this looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship." Kanako's eyes twinkled genuinely.

Akari's lips parted slightly in surprise then grinned, "I can tell."

* * *

"Thanks for the brownies Nanami-san!" Kanako shouted over her shoulder, two hands secured around a plate of brownies.

"Its no problem,sweetie!" cried Nanami happily.

"See you around Kanako." Akari yelled, waving goodbye.

"I'm not deaf Akari." Kanako turned around to face Nanami and Akari at the front of their gate and shot her a smile, "See you around."

Nanami and Akari watched as Kanako walked down the street towards her house. Once she was out of sight, Nanami closed the door.

"It looks like you and Kanako are friends," Nanami beamed.

Akari smiled at her mother, "Mmhmm."

"Its so good to see you hanging out with her. Makes me feel so warm and fuzzy inside," continued Nanami cheerfully.

"Mum, its not good to watch movies in the morning, even if they are feel-good movies."

Pause. "I didn't watch any movies."

"Whatever you say mum." Akari walked to her room, "I'm going to get ready for school. Also, don't blame me if a teacher calls saying I fell asleep in class."

"I don't care what you say. I know you had a good time!" Nanam said as she skipped to the kitchen.

Akari shook her head, "Mum, for once you're right."

Nanami halted, "I've been right more than once."

Silence.

"Haven't I?"

* * *

Akari stifled a yawn and tried to concentrate on the questions the teacher had set before he left the class. Eveyr one were too busy with their own matters i.e. talking that most didn't bother to do the questions. After a while, she too gave up and lay her head on the desk, closing her eyes.

"Someone sure looks tired," Hikaru and Kaoru singsonged.

Akari opened her eyes and sighed, "Could you guys not talk so loud."

"Why are you so tired Akari?" Haruhi questioned.

"Ya! Why? Why?" Hikaru said, getting louder with every 'Why?'

She shot him an annoyed look, "Woke up early to go for a jog with a friend."

"You have friends?" Kaoru sneered.

Akari glowered at him. Her eyes did not waver until he flinched away, "Yes, I do." She closed her eyes, "Now shut up."

"You're not the boss of us, "Hikaru stated defiantly.

She groaned and looked at Haruhi pleadingly. Haruhi only stared blankly back. Akari muttered something incoherent and stuck her fingers in her ears.

"Akari! Akari! Akari!" shouted the twins.

Akari jerked up and slammed her fist on her table. "What?" she yelled a little louder than she meant to.

Everyone in the class looked around in surprise at her. She heaved a sigh. "What?" she asked a little more quietly.

Hikaru and Kaoru shrugged their shoulders, "Your phone's ringing."

She listened and heard a muffled sound coming from her backpack.

_One by one, if I could grant these thoughts right now  
I would surely become a stronger me, and be able to meet you with a smile  
One by one, even believing that the world revolves is scary._

"Next time you should switch off your hand phone when you're in class." Haruhi chastised under her breath while Akari dug around her backpack until she found her cell phone. She glanced at the caller ID with a mixture of surprise and enthusiasm before she answered it.

"Hey dad." Akari glanced to the front of the class and was happy to see the teacher walking out. She leaned back in her chair with a smile. "No its okay, I can talk now."

Hikaru and Kaoru looked at each other and raised their eyebrows, "Her dad." They looked at Akari in interest as she talked happily to her father.

"I've never seen her so happy," Haruhi muttered.

"What about that time, she heard Tamaki call Kyoya 'mommy'," Hikaru said.

Kaoru nodded his head in agreement, "She was hysterical."

Haruhi looked at Akari closely, "This is different. Look at her, she's happy not because she found something funny."

Hikaru and Kaoru squinted their eyes, analyzing Akari's face. Suddenly, her face changed into a look of dismay before repulsion took its place. She kept muttering 'Yes', 'Okay,' 'Uh-huh,' before finally saying,"Ok, bye dad."

She snapped her phone shut and pursed her lips.

"Every thing alright," Hikaru inquired.

She stared fixedly at Hikaru. "Yes."

"What happened?" Kaoru asked, his eyes brimming with eagerness.

"None of you bee's guts," she snarled.

Haruhi looked at her blandly, "When are you meeting Kyoya-senpai?"

* * *

Akari sat in the limo fidgeting nervously. She pressed her face against the window and stared at the scenery flashing by while pulling the hem of her skirt, wishing she had the comfort of her old jeans again. Though that was the least of her problems.

"You look fine," said the older man sitting beside her.

Tatsuya Shirafuji. Her father.

His eyes were a warm green-blue. Hair, a dark brown and not a strand of gray hair could be seen. Something that he was very proud of. They did not have any physical similarities but the most most noticeable characteristic they shared was their laugh and smile.

Although Tatsuya did a lot more smiling and laughing than Akari.

"I'm not worried about how I look, dad."

Tatsuya smiled. The corners of his eyes crinkled and his irises twinkled. Her mum had told her that his smile was the first thing she fell in love with and in a way was still in love with, "No. I had a feeling you weren't."

She gave an exasperated sigh, "I don't understand why _I_ have to come with you."

He folded the newspaper he was reading and looked at his only daughter, "You are the heir to my company. It would make sense for you to come."

"I still don't get it. I mean you and him are going to talk about the business deal without me."

"Yes, but he invited both of us for lunch," he explained patiently.

"I wish he didn't invite me as well."

"You are the future heir to the law firm, so I hope you get used to this because there are more to came," he chided.

"I know. I know," she mumbled. " But did it have to be the Ootori family? Someone up there must hate me."

Tatsuya merely laughed at his daughter.

"We're have arrived Shirafuji-sama."

Akari blinked from her stupor and realized that the car had pulled to a stop all too soon. The chauffeur promptly got out and opened the car door. She stepped out tentatively and looked around. Her stomach quickly filled with butterflies of dread that twittered all over.

"Maybe you should just go on without me," she said, an edge of panic in her voice. Akari turned her back from the front door to the limo.

Her father grabbed her shoulders and steered his unwilling daughter towards the front door, "I'm sorry but nothing you do is going to get you out of this."

Akari grumbled as they made their way to the door. Tatsuya rang the doorbell and in a second the door opened with a flourish by an aged butler.

He bowed, "Shirafuji-sama, we have been expecting you. Please do enter."

Tatsuya entered with Akari trailing behing him sulking.

"Sweetheart, stop sulking."

His voice was kind and patient. Akari felt bad that she acting like a small child when all the while he had been good to her. Her sulk faded and was replaced by a small smile.

He put an arm around her shoulder and smiled, "You look much prettier with a smile on your face."

"Shirafuji-san. Its nice to see you again."

Akari looked up to see Yoshio Ootori standing in front of them looking smart though older than when she last saw him. He had more lines on his face and gray hair that had been neatly combed. His glasses glinted under the light, making him look slightly menacing even with a small smile on his lips. Kyoya stood beside him looking just as smart and just as tall and menacing even though he too had a smile on.

Suddenly, Akari had to urge to run away screaming bloody murder. But she kept her cool and stared calmly back even as her insides were writhing around.

She bowed, "Its very nice to see you again Ootori-san."

_Someone save me._

Yoshio chuckled, "My, you sure have grown into a beautiful young adult, Akari-san."

The muscles on her face stretched into what she hoped was a smile," Thank you."

_God, I know I have sinned but please help._

Tatsuya glanced at his watch, "We still have some time before lunch. Shall we discuss the deal until lunch? In the meantime Kyoya and Akari can spend some time together." He looked over at Yoshio for confirmation.

Yoshio nodded, " Yes. Kyoya and Akari should spend time getting to know each other." He looked at Kyoya intently.

Kyoya gave a polite smile, "Yes father. I am sure Akari and I will have a lot to talk about."

Tatsuya looked at Akari with a twinkle in his eye, "Have fun."

Akari had every intention to say something sarcastic but bit back her tongue, "Of course dad."

_My life is over._

* * *

Kyoya and Akari sat on patio chairs in the lavish garden of the Ootori home. Akari looked around the garden in awe. It seemed like it had been taken out right out of a fantasy book.

Sitting in the shade made her feel like she was in another world. All sorts of trees lined the garden providing shade from the hot afternoon sun. Beautiful colorful flowers were planted all around. And in the centre was a fountain with a statue of a woman in a Kimono holding a bowl with clear, glistening water running from it.

Akari exhaled slowly and continued to admire the beauty of the garden. Looking around, she felt that it was strange. Strange that this family who were so centered on work could have such a beautiful garden.

"If you're wondering why a family like mine has such a beautiful garden..."

Akari blinked, surprised, "Eh? W-what did you do? Read my mind?"

Kyoya ignored her statement and continued, "We have to have a beautiful garden because my family hosts many events. As a result, many of our guests like to come out here to get some fresh air."

She nodded her head in comprehension, "Ah, so its just another way to impress people."

Kyoya looked at her, "I suppose you could say that."

They sat in silence for awhile. Kyoya glanced at her face which was staring at the fountain. Most would have assumed she was admiring the beauty of the fountain but the way her eyes stared blankly and her eyebrows furrowed together told Kyoya she was thinking about asking him something. He waited for a few moments patiently.

Akari looked at Kyoya seriously. "If I throw a penny into the fountain and make a wish, do you think it'll come true?"

A smirk spred across Kyoya's face. "You sound like Tamaki."

She looked at him, repugnant. "Do not say that. Ever." She looked at him expectantly, "You still haven't answered my question."

"You could try it and see if it worked," Kyoya said wryly.

Without a moments hesitation, Akari got up and fished out a coin from her pocket. He eyed her curiously and she shrugged, "Yeah, I carry coins in my pocket, so what?" she said somewhat defensively. She walked up to the fountain and bent over , looking into the clear water. The surface of water glistened in the sunlight and she bent over closer to the pool and saw her reflection waver across the surface.

"It is quite beautiful, isn't it?"

Akari jumped, startled and lost her balance. She saw the water getting closer and quickly shut her eyes, preparing for the impact of the cold water. Instead of cold wetness, she felt a warm hand wrap around her hand and pull her into something hard.

_What the-_

Her eyes fluttered open only to find herself staring at a shirt. Akari felt one hand gripping her own and another wrapped around her waist. She looked up but instantly regretted it. Looking intently at her were Kyoya's grey-black eyes. She instinctively flinched at the proximity between them and immediately took a hasty step backwards. She was confused when her heart rammed against he ribcage and her breath hitched. Butterflies filled her stomach once again that day. However this time it had nothing to do with dread.

_Oh god, is this food poisoning? Maybe I'm dying._

"I suppose it would be too much to ask of you to not be so clumsy."

Kyoya's voice snapped her out of her reverie. She sent a lethal glare at him. "You startled me so its your fault," was her instantaneous reply.

"I just saved you from getting soaked and this is how you thank me?"

She cursed under her breath.

"How rude," he mused. "You should really learn to be more polite and courteous. How are you going to handle business deals with a tongue like that?"

She snorted, "Oh, you mean polite like you? Why don't you teach me then?"

"I would but there is nothing to gain for me. Besides, you wouldn't be a very good student what with you being very set in your ways. I hardly think you would want to learn anything especially from me. He gave his you're-a-stubborn-idiot shrug, "So, it would just be a waste of my valuable time."

"Of course. Your time is like gold isn't it?" she answered with sarcasm.

"Yes, very much so," Kyoya agreed coolly.

Akari huffed and went back to sit on the patio chair. "You wouldn't be much of a teacher either."

"I think I would be an excellent teacher," he replied, taking a seat opposite her.

"I disagree completely," Akari said, crossing her arms.

Kyoya calmly quirked an eyebrow, "Of course _you_ would. You seem to always be annoyed at me even after I saved you getting soaked. I have no idea why. Your mother seems to like me."

"Only because you act like an angel in front of her. We both know you're not like that," she responded harshly.

He chuckled, "She likes me because she sees me as a responsible person."

"Sure, you're responsible. That's about it though on the checklist. You really should be worried," she retorted. "Not to mention your bad temper."

"In case you didn't notice Akari, I am not the one constantly losing my temper."

"Okay, fine, so maybe I do lose my temper," she conceded.

He scoffed, "Maybe?"

She frowned, "Look you have a bad temper too. You just don't show it much."

Kyoya rested his chin on his palm and looked at her in interest, "Its called self-control. You should really learn it sometime soon."

"Whatever," she muttered. "Idiot."

His mouth twitched upward, "It would seem that I have won."

"Won? Won what?" she asked, shooting Kyoya a confused look.

"Every time you throw a random insult at me, it means I win our little arguments."

Akari lightly traced the pattern on the surface of the table, wishing she had enough strength to lift it and fling it at him, "You keep score of the times you win?"

"Hardly. But it doesn't take much to know that I win every time," he sneered.

She gritted her teeth. "You love to win don't you. Don't you ever consider that you might lose one day," she managed to strangle out.

"Occasionally. I am only human after all." Kyoya smirked, "So far though, I've been winning."

"How the girls in our school are attracted to you, I will never know," she mocked.

He didn't answer. Akari glanced at him, wondering if she had offended him. Not that she cared. "Have you ever been attracted to anyone before?" Akari questioned him suddenly.

He glanced at her and paused for a moment. "Attraction is fleeting and it doesn't really concern me."

"You're asexual aren't you?"

"I'm confident that I'm not."

"Okay,so whats the reason that it doesn't concern you?"

"An Ootori has to have the best. Naturally, I will have to marry someone who is of high social standing. She has to be educated from a prominent school and owns a part of her company's shares. She has to be intelligent so I can have meaningful conversations with her. She also has to be tolerable enough to live with. "

"Naturally," Akari echoed. She pondered his statement for a while and wondered if she going to end up with the same fate. She pictured herself in a bridal gown with a faceless person waiting for her at the end of the aisle.

"I don't think you should worry. If you do have an arranged marriage, your father will find someone suitable."

"Fuyumi-san had an arranged marriage, didn't she?" she asked.

"Yes, she did."

Akari looked at him solemnly "I don't think she would have liked that."

"No..she didn't." he agreed.

She sighed and looked at him sadly, "But she had to."

"She's happy now. Her husband is a good a man and adores her very much."

Akari looked at a rose bush in the distance. Her eyes fell and she sighed, "This whole head of company thing is hard."

He raised an eyebrow, "Did you expect it to be easy. If you did, that was quite foolish of you."

"No. I knew there would be tough situations." She paused, "Sometimes I feel like I just want to be normal."

"Normal? Why would you want that? Your position in your father's company is confirmed. What more could you ask for."

Akari looked at him and was startled to find his eyes gazing at her in disdain. "What more?" he asked again.

She shook her head, "Nothing more. I know you probably think I am not as grateful as you would be if you got to be the Head of your company. But I am grateful. Just so you know."

"It certainly doesn't seem that way," he replied coldly.

"Well, it is." She twisted her fingers, "Do you find it difficult to compete with your brothers?"

He smirked, "Not so much as difficult but more of interesting."

Akari smiled at him, "That's quite an evil face you have on right now." She stared at him for a second, "What made you decide to join the host club?"

"Is this a question and answer session?" Kyoya drawled.

She gave him an aggravated stare, "Just answer the question."

"Merits of course," he said as if stating the obvious.

She cocked her head to the side, "You get merits for joining the club? What kind of merits?"

Kyoya corrected his glasses, "Many of our customers come from influential families. Instant connections."

"Oh, that kind of merits. Should have known." She glanced at him, "You also joined the club because Tamaki is your best friend, right?"

He tapped his fingers patiently, "Best friends? I befriend him for my own benefits, Akari."

Akari just rolled her eyes. "There you go again, pretending to be an egoist." She leaned back in the chair and grinned, "You're more like Tamaki-senpai than you realize."

"Please don't associate me with that idiot."

Footsteps were heard coming from the distance. The aged butler Akari had seen at the front door appeared. He swiftly bowed, "Your fathers request the presence of both of you for lunch."

"Very well," Kyoya replied. He gracefully got up and extended a hand to Akari.

Akari frowned and slapped it away, "I'm not helpless."

"I was merely being a gentleman," he said, waiting as Akari got up.

"Kyoya the Gentleman. What a great, big, fat, lie," she said, rolling her eyes. She stopped, glanced at the fountain and realized she never made her wish.

"Kyoya-senpai, wait!"

Kyoya sturned around and was face to face with an eager Akari, who said happily, "We still have to make a wish."

"We?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, we." She grabbed his hand and pressed a coin into his palm. She walked to the fountain and looked over her shoulder, gesturing towards him. "Come on. Be a kid at heart for once."

Kyoya gave an amused smile before following her. With a flick of their hands, the coins flew into the air before landing in the water. They swayed left and then right before finally sinking to the bottom.

Akari looked at Kyoya, eyes warm. "What did you wish for?"

He looked at her and then the fountain. "I don't think wished come true if you tell them to people."

She scowled. "Fine, then I won't tell you mine."

"I am dying from the disappointment," he replied dryly.

She huffed and walked away but Kyoya's long strides easily caught up to her.

As they both walked towards the mansion in silence, Akari noticed the tiny changes that she seemed to experience. There were a few things that did not exist before. Things she couldn't explain just yet. The butterflies in her stomach, the flurry of heartbeats, the heat in her cheeks. She was sure there was a logical reason behind them.

Some time was all she needed to figure out the rational cause for her unusual behavior. That was all.

She just hoped she wasn't dying of some sort of disease.

* * *

**Well, this chapter is more of Akari and Kyoya catching up and something more...in Akari's case. Hehehe...**

**Again, I'm so sorry for the late update.**

**Thank you to everyone who's willing to forgive me:)**

**I hope I can update my next chapter much sooner. Fingers crossed.**

**Thank you for reading and do review.**


	7. I Think We're Alone Now

**Hello everyone! I updated much quicker with this chapter. "Yay me!" *Claps for herself***

**...Enough weirdness. **

**Many thanks goes to reviewers, **

**Narnialover, brandy mallory, patriot16, camarts13, yellowmoon27, jychan, Hikari Kimaka, darkheart1992. **

**Disclaimer:**** Me + OHSHC = I don't own it. Steal my OC's and there will be consequences.**

* * *

**Written by: **Ordinary Magic

**Nothing but you,**

**How I wish it wasn't so.**

**-  
**_It creeps in, like a spider  
Can't be killed, although I try and try to  
But don't you see I'm falling?  
Don't wanna love you  
But I do.  
__-Stop This Song by Paramore-__  
_**-**

**Chapter 7 I Think We're Alone Now**

* * *

_I think we're alone now  
There doesn't seem to be anyone around  
I think we're alone now  
The beating of our hearts is the only sound_

**_-I Think We're Alone Now by The Birthday Massacre-_**

* * *

Akari trudged to the kitchen, movements slow and tired. Her legs felt like someone had attached lead to them just to torture her.

Only that wasn't really the case. The jogs with Kanako were beginning to take a toll on her. Call her lazy, exercise-challenged, sluggish, a slacker or a sloth but the truth was she was plain exhausted from the lack of use of her legs for running. She was also not used to waking at five in the morning every morning. It just wasn't done. It wasn't natural. How was a girl supposed to get enough sleep from waking up at that godforsaken time anyway?

Still she went, suffered, tortured herself...ok, so thats an exaggeration.

Its not that she disliked spending time with Kanako. Just the opposite. She liked Kanako a lot because she was fun to be around. Kanako was always able to make her laugh even when she was at her grumpiest.

The whole jogging thing was what was bugging her. She then decided that she would get used to it sooner or later. Hopefully.

Akari entered into the small and simple space that was her kitchen. She liked this kitchen as opposed the grandeur of her father's mansion. Her mum and her would always spend time talking after their meals. Not that she actually said much but her mum's chatter was enough for the both of them.

Nanami was already up and preparing breakfast. She was humming a tune Akari did not recognize. There a brief moment of wondering as too why her mum was so cheerful and when she saw her breakfast already made.

_Weird. Mum doesn't usually prepare my breakfast._

Instantly her guard was up. The mini Akari in her brain was poised with a hand hovering overr the 'In Case of Emergency' switch. Her eyes carefully scoped out the entire kitchen. Nothing out of the ordinary could be spotted.

With the naked eye anyway.

Nanami smiled cheerfully at her. "Good morning, sweetie."

"Good morning, mum." Akari gingerly took a seat at the small table in the center of the kitchen.

"So, what are you going to do today?" Nanami asked, still in her unnaturally cheery voice.

Akari sipped her orange juice and glanced at calendar while still watching her mother out of the corner of her eye. Her mood was elated when she realized she had the whole day to herself. No school, no Host Club, no jogs. What could be better than that?

Thats right. _Nothing._

"Take it easy," Akari answered with a smile of her own. She stretched her arms relaxing a little and reviewed the past week. Overall, this week had been really good. Hikaru and Kaoru were less annoying than usual and she only caught glimpses of the other members in school.

For once, life was good.

She bit into the toast her mum had prepared and pondered what she should do today, trying to get rid of the nagging feeling she had in the back of her mind that something was about to happen.

Something horrible.

Akari laughed it off. "What could possibly go wrong on a perfect day like this?"

Nanami laughed as well and Akari instantly noted the faint hint of hysteria in it. "Thats the spirit, dear."

"Akari dear, could you go down to the supermarket and buy some more milk after you're done eating," Nanami requested still having her back turned from Akari and bustling about with something Akari could not see from her position.

Akari polished off her toast and gave Nanami a funny look. "But you just opened a new carton. I can go tomorrow."

Nanami looked at the milk carton beside her. "Oh! You're right!" she said breezily, a little too breezily.

Akari gave Nanami a final look before closing her tired eyes and sipped her orange juice. Her mum's humming soon began to fade away. She could still vaguely feel the grip on her glass and set it down on the table for fear of dropping it.

"Oops!" Nanami exclaimed.

Nanami's voice came out clearly, jolting Akari from her almost nap. She also noticed the certain way Nanami had said 'oops!' sounded very much like an..

_Actress_ Akari concluded.

She twisted around in her seat only to find milk splattered all over the floor. Nanami smiled sheepishly. "I guess you'll have to buy the milk today."

Akari narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "I guess so."

* * *

Akari had been minding her own business, walking down the road towards the grocery store after taking a cold shower which still did not free her from her lethargy, the money Nanami had given her jingling all the way when she was dragged into a fancy black car she should have seen coming. It wasn't a limousine but fancy black cars were a rarity in her neighborhood, so it should have stood out like a sore thumb. She inwardly cursed that the one time she wasn't actually paying attention tho her surroundings was the time she got kidnapped.

Maybe this was all a nightmare and she was actually still sound asleep in her bed. The weight of someone's hand on her arm proved otherwise.

She closed her eyes and sucked in air preparing to let out a bloodcurdling scream, assuming she had been kidnapped. Kidnappers tended to go after kids with rich parents and she was the daughter of the person who owned a huge law firm.

Hmm, speaking of that. She wondered why she didn't have body guards constantly around her. Maybe they were hiding. Her father did want her to have a normal childhood. Beefy body guards constantly surrounding her would deteriorate the chances. Though, did kidnappers have black, fancy cars? She did recall her dad having a few similar cars.

Right, enough about cars. Cars were cars either way you look at it. Back to her present situation. Being kidnapped.

It turned out she wasn't being kidnapped, and that she didn't have to scream and that as far as she knew kidnappers did not have fancy black cars for when she opened her eyes, she was greeted by the child-like face of Hunny and Mori's stoic one.

"Hunny-senpai, why are you kidnapping me?" Her voice was calm albeit surprised. Maybe it was because she was glad she wasn't being kidnapped. On the contrary, if the twins, Tamaki or Kyoya had done this, she would have screamed her head off but because it was Hunny and Mori, two members of the Host Club -besides Haruhi- that didn't annoy her as much, she remained composed.

Hunny beamed at her, "We're taking you out!"

She looked at him worriedly. "When you say 'we', do you mean, the entire Host Club?"

"Ah," Mori answered.

"B-but my mum, she's expecting me home with milk."

Hunny shook his head, smiling, "Your mum already agreed."

"W-what?" Akari spluttered. She felt the cellphone in her jeans pocket vibrate. She fished it out and saw the '1 new message' blinking on the screen.

_I'm sorry I had to do this but you __needed__ time with your friends.  
Don't worry about the milk, I'll get it. Have fun at the amusement park!  
Love, mum._

Her mind went spiraling. _If only this was just a horrible nightmare._

* * *

Akari sighed as they waited at the gate of the amusement park for the others to come. Her back slumped against the wall while Hunny sat on Mori's shoulders, with a huge, excited smile on his face. While waiting, she concentrated on the different colors of the cars parked in the parking lot.

_Blue, red, white, blue, green..._

"Aka-chan, is the candy in the amusement park nice?" Hunny asked curiously.

She tore her eyes away from the cars and craned her neck to look at Hunny. "I don't really know, Hunny-senpai. I haven't actually been to a theme park but I guess they'll be nice."

Hunny cocked his head. "You haven't been to a theme park before?"

She rubbed the back of her neck uncomfortably. "No, I haven't."

"Why?"

"I'm not really into things like that."

His face fell at her words. "Oh."

"But I'm sure I'll have fun," she said quickly.

Hunny's crestfallen face turned sunny again satisfied with her answer. "We'll have so much fun!" He swung his legs eagerly. "I can't wait to go in. Can you Takashi?"

Mori only nodded.

She turned back to the cars but found that she could not remember where she had left off. Akari sighed again. She felt it absurd that her mum would think she needed anymore time with them. It just didn't make any sense. She spent time with three of them all day at school. Anymore than that and she feared she might just go insane.

A fancy black car, very much like Hunny and Mori's pulled up by the sidewalk and out stepped Hikaru and Kaoru. Akari wondered if today was fancy black car day and not fancy black limousine day. They strode over to Akari, Hunny and Mori. "Yo," they greeted.

She hunched her shoulders and looked sourly at them. "Hey."

"Someone's looking down in the dumps," Hikaru said loudly in her ear.

Kaoru who stood on the other side of her smirked. "She always looks like that."

They snickered at Akari's expense. She thought of an obscenity in her head but did not proceed to say it aloud fearing the twins would inflict physical and mental damage on her. Her fateful encounter with them tying and gagging her was a burning reminder of what they were capable of.

After a while of tolerating Hikaru and Kaoru's jabs at her fashion sense, -tolerating as in coming up some of the lamest comeback that even a five-year old would consider pathetic and breathing deeply as to not throw a shouting fit- two other black cars pulled up. Kyoya stepped out of the first one. Her stomach did a funny little flip when she saw him coming out, looking extremely cool.

_Did I just say that he looked cool. What the hell is wrong with me? I need to stop listening to those crazy girls in school._

Tamaki and a disgruntled Haruhi got out of the second one. Tamaki bounded up to them dragging Haruhi with Kyoya following behind them.

Tamaki clapped his hands happily. "I bet you're all wondering why I brought you here?"

"To waste the time of people who actually have better things to do," Akari mumbled.

"I second that. "Haruhi said bluntly.

Tamaki pouted. "No! I wanted all of us to experience the joys of amusement parks together!"

"No, thank you. Can I go home now?" Akari said whirling around.

Hunny's face fell. "Y-You don't want to join us, Aka-chan?"

Akari looked at his face and felt a twinge of guilt. "No, I want to join you." She cursed herself for being so easily manipulated.

Tamaki smiled brightly. "Shall we go then."

Hikaru and Kaoru shrugged. "Nothing else to do."

"This should be interesting," Kyoya agreed.

Akari heaved a sigh. _This was going to be a long day._

* * *

The funfair was everything Akari imagined it to be. The scent of cotton-candy, ice-cream, popcorn and other assortments of sweets wafted in the air. It made her feel queasy. She could hear faint screams from the people riding the roller coasters. Children screamed in delight with parents following them. Teenagers about her age had chosen to come as couples as opposed to coming in a big group like she had. She felt a little nauseated when she saw a couple playing tonsil hockey in a corner, too wrapped up in each other to notice the rest of the world.

She shuddered. "Gross."

"That is quite inappropriate, I have to say," Kyoya said, walking instep with her.

Her eyes met his face. "You saw them too?"

"I believe everyone and anyone can see them."

Akari didn't say anything. For some reason she felt oddly embarrassed to be talking to Kyoya about something like _that_. She stuffed her hands into the pockets of her jeans and continued to eye the scene at the amusement park. She clamped her hand over her mouth when she yawned, remembering her mum's constant reminder that it was rude to yawn with your mouth wide open.

"Are you tired?" Kyoya inquired.

Akari nodded without looking at him.

"Well I hope you can bear it because Tamaki will probably want to ride all the rides."

"I can't imagine you riding a roller coaster," Akari said, giving him an amused smile.

He arched an eyebrow. "I won't be riding any but I'll watching by the sidelines."

"Tamaki-senpai will be upset." She frowned. "An upset Tamaki-senpai will be harder to handle."

"He''ll be too busy trying to prevent Hikaru and Kaoru from getting a seat next to Haruhi."

Akari followed Kyoya's gaze to Tamaki who was talking animatedly to Haruhi. Haruhi seemed annoyed but Tamaki didn't seem to notice. After a while, Haruhi smiled at something Tamaki had said.

"Probably." She watched Tamaki and Haruhi for a while more, her eyes speculative. "Kyoya-senpai?"

Kyoya glanced at her. "Yes."

"Does Tamaki-senpai like Haruhi as in _like like_ her."

He smirked, "You've caught up."

"Is that a yes?" she asked in irritation.

"Tamaki doesn't notice that what he feels for Haruhi is more than just fatherly."

"You're not going to give him a push?"

Kyoya shrugged, "No. He isn't ready yet. Besides, its his matter not mine."

She smiled. "I guess that makes sense."

"Akari, is that you?" came a voice Akari recognized.

Akari turned around and saw Kanako walking up to her. "Kanako!" she said, smiling widely.

Kanako stopped and enveloped Akari in a hug, "What are you doing here?" She gave her a mock hurt look. "I invited you to come with me but you refused and yet here you are with-" she trailed off, finally taking notice of the seven people standing behind Akari.

"-them," she finished looking a little gob smacked. Her eyes carefully analyzed each of them. She blinked and was back to normal.

"So, you ditched me for them," she said placing her palm on her forehead dramatically.

"My mum forced me. Trust me I don't want to be here." Akari muttered.

"Akari, who is this?" Tamaki asked going up next to her.

Kanako stuck out her hand, "Kanako Matsuda, next door neighbor and friend of Akari."

Tamaki shook her hand, "Its nice to meet you. I am sure you know who I am for I am certain Akari has told you a lot about us."

Kanako stared blankly at him and raised an eyebrow. "Sorry to break to it to you but Akari hasn't told me anything about you."

Tamaki's face crumpled in dismay. Kanako shrugged and continued on, completely oblivious to Tamaki's reaction. "Besides that she finds you all very annoying. I think she said the one that calls her 'niece' is the most annoying."

Tamaki instantly went into a corner and weeped. Kanako looked strangely at him before turning back to Akari. "You weren't joking when you said these people are weird."

"I told you," Akari deadpanned.

Kanako grinned at Akari, "But I can see looks-wise why the girls at your school go 'Kyaa!' when they see them." She lowered her voice, "They are _fine_."

"They are?" Akari asked. "You must be delusional." Kanako wasn't delusional, Akari knew that. She just didn't want to admit to the fact that they were more than just 'fine.' Deep down, she knew that the girls at her school were justified whenever they swooned at the sight of the Host Club.

_Too bad their personalities aren't as good. Then again who am I to say that_.

Kanako gave Akari a weird look. Her eyes flickered towards Kyoya who was standing a step behind Akari, closer than the others were and back to Akari. A flash of recognition passed through her eyes.

"Oi! Kanako! Get over here, Rei is looking green!" a male voice shouted from afar.

Kanako looked at a guy who had another guy leaning on his shoulder. She turned back to Akari and gave her a hug goodbye. "Well, I've got to go, my friend is in trouble." She looked at the Host Club, "It was nice meeting you."

"Catch you later, Akari." With a final wave, Kanako disappeared into the crowd.

Tamaki grabbed Akari by the shoulders eyes brimming with tears. "Am I annoying, my dear niece?"

"Sometimes," Akari admitted without hesitation.

"My niece hates me!" Tamaki cried, going into his corner once again. This time a puddle could be seen forming around his feet.

"Senpai, can we hurry up and go on some rides," Haruhi grumbled.

Tamaki still stayed in his corner.

"Just so you know Akari, this is not fault." Kyoya said calmly but Akari could his accusatory tone underneath it, opposing the statement he had just made.

Akari exhaled slowly, understanding what Kyoya meant. "Tamaki-senpai I don't hate you. You're a very nice person."

Tamaki instantly brightened. "Okay! Lets go!"

Akari watched as Tamaki bounced to Haruhi who backed away slowly. "That was fast."

* * *

They ended up choosing the roller coaster with the most loops and turns. Technically, Hikaru and Kaoru chose it and 'persuaded' everyone to ride it.

Methods of Persuasion by Hikaru and Kaoru.

Tamaki- "Fine Tono, you don't have to ride it. We'll just ride it with Akari and _Haruhi_ without you."

Haruhi and Akari. "Come on, it'll be fun. " They then proceeded to drag Akari and Haruhi to the roller coaster.

Kyoya- No persuasion needed by them

Hunny- No persuasion needed by them.

Mori- No persuasion needed by them.

It was a big mistake.

Akari slumped in her chair and held her head still to stop the world from spinning. Her face was an ugly shade of green right about now. She wasn't the only one. All of them were green and looked like they might just pass out soon.

Excluding Mori and Kyoya.

Akari was amazed that Mori had remained expressionless throughout the entire roller coaster ride. Even when he came off, unlike everyone who looked like they were going to puke or were puking, Mori looked normal.

Kyoya didn't ride the roller coaster, so he didn't count. Tamaki begged and pleaded for him to join them but Kyoya didn't even budge. Tamaki would have continued if he hadn't gotten distracted by Hikaru and Kaoru who were dragging Haruhi towards the roller coaster.

"No more rides." Akari said, when everything stopped spinning. She retied her ponytail which had come loose.

Tamaki also recovered, no longer looking like he needed a bucket, "Akari is right." He pouted. "But I don't want to go home yet."

Hikaru slammed a flyer on the table, "What about this?" he asked.

Everyone peered over to the flyer on the table. On it was a rundown house with cobwebs and spiders decorating it. A Frankenstein was printed with a word bubble that read, 'Think you're brave. Give yourself a test with our House of Horrors.'

Tamaki gulped. "A-a haunted house?"

Kaoru gave a Cheshire grin. "It'll be fun. You're not scared are you, Tono?"

Tamaki looked defiantly at him. "No, I'm not!"

"Then, to the House of Horrors we go." they chorused.

They looked up at the exact replica of the house on the flyer. This time however it was not just colors on a piece of paper. The clouds suddenly looked a little darker. Akari could imagine a sinister laugh emit from inside the house.

Akari looked uncertainly at it. "Are you sure about this?"

Tamaki quivered a little. "Of course."

The eight of them went up to the ticket booth. Behind the ticket booth was a girl who looked like she was dead bored. Occasionally a 'pop' sound would come from the bubblegum she was chewing. Her attitude took a radical change when she saw the Host Club approaching. She immediately straightened up and spat out her bubblegum

"Eight tickets, please," Tamaki said, giving her a dazzling smile.

Akari rolled her eyes when the girl blushed furiously and nodded. She gave Tamaki the tickets but before they could go, she stopped them.

"Wait! You can't all go in together." She took a deep breath. "You have to go two by two. Its to create a scarier effect."

"Oh okay," Tamaki said. Quickly he grabbed Haruhi's hand. "I'll be going with Haruhi."

"Great, " Haruhi mumbled.

"We'll be going together then," the twins said in unison.

"Takashi and me will be going with each other." Hunny said.

Akari blinked. "Wait, so that means..."

* * *

Akari jumped when a bloody corpse came out at her. She clutched at her heart which was beating extremely fast. "Damn."

"There's been so many things popping out that I would have thought you would get used to it," Kyoya said coolly.

"Shut up. Not everyone can be as calm as you," she retorted. Her eyes focused forward trying to resist the temptation to run out like a madwoman away from this haunted house and from_ him_. Him being Kyoya that is.

The truth was Akari is and always was scared of ghost, ghouls, goblins, things that went bump, the works. She didn't want to come to this haunted house. She would rather barf her way through ten more roller coaster rides but her pride refused to let her. The twins constant mocking when they found out she was scared if she refused to come would be torturous.

Yes, she had pride. It wasn't much but it was enough for her to make it through the haunted house. She just wished she didn't have to endure it with Kyoya of all people.

Thank goodness the rest of the walk was normal enough. Other than a few scares for Akari when something popped out and Kyoya constantly annoying her, it was alright. She was relieved and almost cried out in joy when she saw the 'Exit' sign ahead of them. She went ahead of Kyoya, and would have skipped if she didn't know Kyoya was right behind her.

suddenly, a sallow and pale dummy holding out a knife swung forward towards Akari. She screamed and leaped backwards right into Kyoya and the two went stumbling backwards. Kyoya's back hit a wall hard. Before they even realized what was happening, they were tumbling backwards into a trap door that had been hidden by cobwebs and fake spiders. They hit the floor with a thud.

Akari's eyes flew open when the whooshing sound in her ears stopped only to find Kyoya lying beneath her. She froze.

His breath tickled her face when he spoke. She couldn't understand what he said and only saw his lips moving for she was too distracted by their proximity and her stomach doing multiple somersaults.

"Do I have to repeat myself?" There was a short pause of silence. "If you could please get off me," Kyoya repeated, his voice noticeably aggravated.

She managed to hear him this time and she quickly scrambled off him, glad it was dark for she could feel heat creep up to her cheeks and all the way to the roots of her hair. She sat away from him cross legged, her face still a violent shade of red while he looked around.

The place they had stumbled upon was a dark and windowless room. Fragments of light still shone from the open trapdoor that was a good twelve feet above them. The only way out was the way they came in.

Kyoya rubbed his temples in irritation.

"I'm sorry, "Akari said somewhat lamely.

Kyoya glared at her in response. "I suppose, we'll just have to wait."

* * *

Akari crossed her arms. "How long has it been?"

Kyoya glanced at his watch. "Fifteen minutes."

"They should be finding us soon," Akari squeaked.

He pushed his glasses with his index finger. "They should."

* * *

"Stay away from my daughter!" Tamaki shouted when a mummy came out and tried to grab Haruhi. He delivered a swift punch to the jawbone of the mummmy but not before they heard, "Gah! Dude, no!" come from the mummy.

"Senpai, you didn't have to go that far," Haruhi said as she looked at the person in the mummy suit, unconscious.

Tamaki hugged Haruhi. "Father was just protecting you."

* * *

Kyoya tapped his fingers impatiently. Akari edged further away from him, not wanting to be in the way of his fury.

She hugged herself, feeling cold. Very cold. She couldn't tell if it was the environment or Kyoya.

Kyoya glared at nothing in particular, his glare more pronounced since he was stuck in this dingy room.

It was definitely Kyoya.

_Come on guys! Where are you?_

* * *

"Ahhh!" a boy screamed, running away as fast as his skinny legs could carry him.

Hikaru and Kaoru who stood below the 'Exit' sign, cackling mercilessly. They took off their Dracula masks and sent wicked gazes to already disappearing boy.

"Told you it was a good idea to do this at the exit," Hikaru snickered.

Kaoru's eyes gleamed. "They're so relieved to see the exit that they get so scared when they see us."

"So that guy makes..."

"Four," Kaoru finished.

Hikaru exchanged a devilish smirk with Kaoru. "I wonder who's next?"

* * *

Akari started praying to Heaven's when she felt a murderous aura emit from Kyoya.

Normally she wouldn't be nervous but because this was entirely her fault, she needed all the help she could get.

That included the angels that were supposed to be helping her at this point.

_Who am I kidding? I'M GOING TO DIE! I LOVE YOU MUM AND DAD!_

* * *

"Takashi, I'm hungry," Hunny whined as they stood outside the House of Horrors, watching the twins wait for their next victim. "Can we go have some cake, please."

"Ah."

Hunny beamed, "Yay! Cake!" They went off in the opposite direction towards the food stalls.

"H-how long h-has i-it been?" Akari chattered out.

Kyoya raised an eyebrow. "Probably half an hour. Are you cold?"

"W-whatever do y-you m-mean?"

He didn't say anything but walked over to her side. He threw her his jacket. Without warning he sat next to her, trapping her between the wall and him.

She went red. 'W-what a-are you d-doing?"

Kyoya casually leaned against the wall. "Ensuring you don't freeze. I doubt anyone would be happy if they found you frozen when I could have done something."

She wore his jacket and instantly she could his scent entered her nose. It smelled like soap and shampoo with something else she could not register. Along with that she could feel his warm body next to hers with their shoulders bumping into each other ever so slightly. She leaned slightly away from him to avoid her heart from going berserk from the rate of its beat. Slowly she stopped shivering and began to warm up. Still her heart beat remained erratic and her nerves were a wreck. She wondered if Kyoya could hear her heart beat in this silence because it was pounding into her ears.

"Why is it so cold?" Akari asked trying to fill up the silence.

"Probably because people think the coldness is associated with the supernatural," he explained. "Obviously they didn't expect anyone to get stuck in here because its so cold."

She huffed. "I said I was sorry." She paused. "Are you cold? If you are you, can have the jacket back."

"Are you worried about me?"

She blushed at the suggestion in his voice. "N-no! I mean it is your jacket."

He smiled patronizingly at her. "Thank you for your concern but I am fine."

"I'm not worried, "she repeated with a little more conviction.

He looked at her and raised an eyebrow as if considered the subject already closed. "Of course."

She opened her mouth to say something but decided against it, knowing Kyoya would only make more snide comments. She hugged herself and tried to lean as far as possible from him. She yawned and her eyelids began to droop. Her heartbeat slowed down, though still not quite to it normal pace. Still his scent lingered on but she found she could sleep easily with it, kind of an aromatherapy. It was comforting.

She wasn't supposed to feel this way. This was the person she found to be annoying, arrogant, and a downright pain in the ass. This was Kyoya.

This wasn't _normal_.

She couldn't sleep even though she so tired. She knew the only to get some shut eye was to think of a logical explanation that would let her mind be at ease. Then it came to her, the reason why she was so comfortable. It was just the pleasant change from bitter cold to cozy warm.

_Anyone would feel comfortable after a change like that._

With that thought in mind, she was finally able to close her eyes, sleep and dream.

* * *

Kyoya was busy writing down the Host Club activities planned for next week in his black notebook, using what little light he had when he felt a weight on his shoulder. He wrinkled his nose when strands of auburn hair flirted across his face. His head shifted to the reason of his sudden immobility, Akari lying peacefully on his shoulder. Her hair fell into her eyes and her breathing was steady and there was a smile on her lips even when she muttered something along the lines of 'idiot.'

"I wasn't the one who placed us in this predicament," he said dryly before he caught himself. Feeling silly for talking to someone who was asleep, he turned his attention back to his notes.

"Kyoya-senpai."

Kyoya turned to see Akari still sleeping and then she said, voice barely audible, "You're not so bad."

_Interesting_ Kyoya thought in amusement.

* * *

"Kyoya! Akari! Are you down there?"

Akari opened her eyes blearily at the sound of Tamaki's loud and frantic voice coming from above her.

"Yes Tamaki, we're here." Kyoya called back.

Akari looked at him sleepily. "Are we being rescued?"

Kyoya moved away from her and stood up. "Yes, we are."

She stretched then stood up as well, rubbing the sleepiness from her eyes. She took off Kyoya's jacket and handed it to him. "How long was I out?"

He took the jacket and shrugged it on. "Quite awhile."

"We're lowering down the ladder," Tamaki shouted. In seconds they saw a long ladder slowly coming down from the trap door.

"Ladies first," Kyoya said, gesturing towards the ladder.

She resisted rolling her eyes. "You are such a gentleman. Not."

Sunlight poured onto the ground and the air was warm. She breathed deeply. It was so good to be out. She stiffened when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her.

"Are you alright my dear niece." Tamaki fretted.

She scowled darkly at him. Tamaki took a hasty step back. "Eh-heh. Akari?"

"What took you so long?" Akari demanded, her voice laced with venom.

Tamaki shrank away from her. "I'm sorry."

She stuffed her hands in her pockets and started walking away from them, muttering curse after curse. Hikaru and Kaoru caught up and walked with her, each on either side of her.

"So, how was it like being stuck with Kyoya-senpai in that trap-door room?" Hikaru asked.

She frowned. "Terrible. I was dead tired, it was cold and I was pretty sure Kyoya-senpai was going to kill me."

Kaoru widened his eyes and looked at her in interest. "Why would Kyoya-senpai want to kill you?"

Akari gave them a sheepish look. "It was kinda my fault that we got stuck in there." Her expression quickly turned into a scowl. "I wouldn't have to worry about Kyoya-senpai killing me if you guys came faster."

"We were busy."

"Busy? Are you kidding me?" she hissed.

"You cant blame us for your mistake." Hikaru chided.

"Thats very irresponsible of you." Kaoru added.

Her eyebrow twitched. It was one thing thing being reprimanded by her mum but a whole different one when it was by Hikaru and Kaoru, reincarnations of the devil. Fortunately, after a while they got bored from pestering her and went over to Haruhi.

They wrapped their arms around Haruhi. "Haruhi, how about you come back home with us."

"No thank you, " she replied curtly.

"Get away from my daughter you unscrupulous twins!" Tamaki yelled.

Akari stopped walking and waited up for them to finish their argument as she didn't have any other ride back home. At this point though, she was contemplating on just walking home. They going at it like there was no tomorrow. "Typical."

"I wasn't going t kill you by the way," a voice said interrupting her thoughts.

Akari turned around to face Kyoya. She raised a critical eyebrow. "Could have fooled me."

"Killing you wold have been a good way to relieve my anger but going to jail is not exactly enticing," he said.

"Trust me you going to jail would do all of us a favor."

"I doubt that." He smiled, sending shivers down her spine. It was the smile that told her he knew something she didn't. It was the smile that never ended well.

For _her_.

"You would miss me."

She blinked for a moment, digesting his words and laughed even if the shivers were still there. "Miss you? Hah! As if. The day I miss you is when the 'Happy Birthday' song is copyrighted."

He took a step towards her. "I wonder if you know that it is copyrighted."

Her jaw dropped and she hastened to rearrange her thoughts.. "Yeah well, so what? Still doesn't mean I'll miss you," she finished lamely before stomping off but not before she caught the smug smile on his face.

_Stupid, conceited, idiotic fathead. If I will ever miss him then let there be thunder._

The sound of thunder rumbled across the theme park. A look of fear flashed across Haruhi's face and she grabbed the nearest thing she could which happened to be Tamaki's hand. This caused him to blush a thousand different shades of red.

"We should head towards the limos," Kyoya ordered.

Everyone began to walk towards the exit. Akari looked up at the sky which she was pretty sure had just been a beautiful hue of blue but was now a gloomy gray. Dark clouds loomed menacingly over her. She gazed at the sky questioningly. _Are you trying to tell me something?_

Another thunder rumbled, this time louder and fiercer. She quivered a little in her sneakers and pulled her gaze away from the sky and back to the ground. The others were already walking ahead of her. Her steps quickened to catch up with them. She caught sight of Kyoya walking calmly in front of everyone.

She grimaced and dragged her feet, an air of frustration around her. _Because if you are, I'm not listening._

* * *

**Inspiration:**** Well, usually I just get sudden bursts of inspiration out of nowhere but this time I have to thank Gakuen Alice, episode 18 for the inspiration. I was in a rut until I watched it (again). The only thing I actually took from it was the two main characters (Mikan and Natsume) getting stuck in the haunted house.**

**Hope you liked it. I live on reviews =)**


	8. First Time

**This chapter is dedicated to: **

**5FIVE5, Immortal Colors (Thank you for the butt kicking, foot in my ass reviews and generally whipping my butt into shape. Without your dead honest reviews I would just be another halfway lazy ass author), Kinz and toffeeheaven (Thanks for the kind review or I would have bawled my eyes outXD)**

**Thanks to everyone who had reviewed. I'm sorry I can't reply to your reviews but I can't access my stupid e-mail. Have to change the damn thing...sigh.**

**Disclaimer:**** Me + OHSHC = I don't own it. Steal my OC's and there will be consequences.**

* * *

**Written by: **Ordinary Magic

**Nothing but you,**

**How I wish it wasn't so.**

**-  
**_It creeps in, like a spider  
Can't be killed, although I try and try to  
But don't you see I'm falling?  
Don't wanna love you  
But I do.  
__-Stop This Song by Paramore-__  
_**-**

**Chapter 8 First Time**

* * *

_Maybe I'm wrong, I'm feeling right  
where I belong with you tonight  
Like being in love to feel for the first time_

_**-**_**First Time by Lifehouse**_**-**_

* * *

_Akari smiled happily as she ate a piece of her favorite chocolate cake, relishing the taste. As she was about to eat another piece, the cake melted away along with the rest of the kitchen. Suddenly she was in the all too familiar Third Music Room. She gasped and looked around in panic._

_"Princess! You have arrived!" cried Tamaki._

_"I told you not to call me princess!" Akari retorted spinning around to find Tamaki in a black tuxedo._

_Kyoya came out form nowhere also in a tuxedo. "In all fairness you are dressed like one."_

_Akari looked down and screamed when her jeans and t-shirt turned in a Victorian-styled dress. "What the hell!"_

_"Well for once you're looking like a lady," Hikaru and Kaoru said appearing in front her, dressed in the same tuxedo._

_"You look really nice Akari," Haruhi complimented. She was dressed in a dress similiar to Akari's._

_"Ah," Mori said._

_"Here Akari, have my bunny. It'll match your dress." Hunny thrust his bunny into Akari's hands. Suddenly the bunnies started multiplying by the dozens. Soon, she up to her neck in bunnies. She looked up to find the Host Club floating above her._

_"Someone help me!" she shouted, flailing her arms wildly._

_"That was quite silly of you," Kyoya said coolly, smirking at her. "Imagine getting drowned in stuffed animals."_

_Hikaru smirked. "What an idiot." scrutinized her. "But its like she's trying too hard wearing that dress."_

_"You're right" Kaoru agreed. He took out a giant_ _laser gun_._ "We should change her into a pretty blond. Then maybe it'll work."_

_"Ooh! With blue eyes," Tamaki exclaimed._

_"You'll look so pretty Aka-chan!" Hunny said, smiling brightly._

_"A lot better," Haruhi agreed._

_Akari looked at the laser gun now pointed at her. A beam of pink light shot from it._

"I don't want to be blond!" Akari screamed. There was a scuffling noise and a loud thump.

Akari looked around dazedly. Her entire body was wrapped around her blanket and she was on the floor. Her head throbbed a little as she sat up.

Nightmares. No one wanted them. No one longed for them. Not unless you're some sort of sadistic weirdo that enjoys that sort of thing. But that's beside the point.

Nightmares. Akari never like them. But ever since she met the host club she had been having an awful lot of them.

* * *

_You are cordially invited  
to the  
Annual Charity Ball_

_Theme:Black Tie  
Venue:Hitachiin Mansion_

* * *

There was crash followed by a muffled scream.

Nightmares were bad but the thing was they weren't real. So when these nightmares came in the form of reality, all you would want was to be waking up to your special stuffed teddy bear, the ringing of your alarm clock in your safe little room.

Suddenly nightmares seemed like a blessing.

* * *

Akari grunted when a new pile of clothes or to be more exact a pile of evening dresses were thrust onto her.

"Is this all really necessary?" she said, voice muffled behind the pile of dresses.

She looked around the lavish designer boutique. There were racks of beautiful gowns, dresses blouses and skirts. In a corner there were shoes ranging form ballet flats, stilettos, kitten heels and boots. In another corner were the accessories like necklaces and earrings. It would be any girl's dreams to be given the opportunity to shop in a place like this.

Too bad she wasn't one those girls.

Nanami gasped at Akari's words. "Of course! Your dad gave us a credit card to use especially for this event."

She looked at her mum's glowing face as she looked through dresses. Nanami looked so happy that Akari felt bad for being such a spoilsport. She had always thought her mum was a nice caring lady and deserved someone more like her. Not someone who resented the thought of anything girly like dresses, skirts, or makeup. She remembered when her mum had bought her a designer blouse, skirt and shoes to wear to her first day in middle school, expecting Akari to wear it. She was so happy, thinking so many boys would be calling Akari that she would have to put a restraining order. Imagine her disappointment when Akari refused to wear it and instead opted for jeans and a hoodie.

"Aren't you going to try them?" Her mum bit her lip and looked at her worriedly. "If you don't want to...we can choose something you like."

Akari looked at the dresses in her arms. "If I picked any of the dresses, I'd probably look a fright. I actually do want to look good for this stupid ball."

Nanami's eyes watered."Oh honey!"

Akari stalked off towards the dressing rooms before Nanami had the chance to make a scene. She pulled off her clothes slowly not wanting to rush as she knew Nanami would have a fresh pile of dresses the minute she was done with the first pile. She tried on the first dress. A bright pink strapless number.

She grimaced but unlocked the door and walked out knowing Nanami would want to have a look at all the dresses she tried on.

"Mum, I am definitely not-" She nearly had a heart attack. "Hikaru? Kaoru?"

"Hey Akari!" they chorused, clearly enjoying themselves. They were sprawled on two plump sofas their arms wrapped around each other.

Nanami appeared by their side. "They came in and spotted me. When they found out you were trying to find a dress, they wanted to help out." She beamed at Akari, "Isn't that nice?"

Akari rubbed her temples with her fingers feeling an oncoming headache. "If by nice you mean horrible, then yes it is nice."

"Akari that's no way to talk to such helpful friends."

Hikaru stood up. "Its alright Nanami-san."

"She can't help the way she is. " Kaoru said, also standing up.

They crossed their arms and eyed her critically. Their eyes scanned her up and down without blinking, their faces concentrated. Something she did not see too often. Normally, they were so troublesome that she kept thinking of them as spawns of the devil.

"No,no." Hikaru said, shaking his head.

"This is not the dress for you," continued Kaoru. "It looks like someone puked pink all over you."

Akari felt her shoulders slump and gave an exhausted sigh. "What are both of you doing here?"

Hikaru raised an eyebrow. "It is our mother's boutique."

She blinked. "Your mother's boutique? Your mother is a designer?"

"Didn't you know dear? I mean you are their friends." Nanami said while admiring a dress on the rack.

"Yeah Akari. Its like you don't know us all." Kaoru said, slinging his hand around her shoulder.

"I really don't want to," she muttered, sliding away from him.

"Kaoru, Nanami-san come and pick a few dresses for Akari," Hikaru called.

She watched them sift through dresses even though she had another pile waiting for her in the dressing room. Hikaru and Kaoru looked so in their element. They went through dress after dress just as fast as Nanami. It was strange seeing them so passionate about something besides their 'brotherly-love' act.

Another pile of dresses were shoved into her arms. This time with more force that she almost fell backwards.

"I already have another pile in the dressing room, " she said in exasperation.

"Well then you better get changing," Hikaru said without mercy.

* * *

Akari fell onto the chair in exhaustion.

_Finally the right dress!_

She had tried on so may dresses that her arms hurt form pulling them off and on again and zipping them up and down. Her legs hurt from trying so many heels to go with the dress that was finally chosen. So many dresses were wrong for her. It was either too loose, too poofy, showing too much or as Kaoru said 'made her look like a sack of potatoes.'

Quite a number of arrows had struck her self-esteem. Like she really needed any more holes in it.

Hikaru and Kaoru sat on either side of her, their expressions satisfied.

"You actually look decent in that dress," Kaoru said, casually leaning against the armrest.

"Yeah, not like something that came from a bargain store," Hikaru agreed.

"Gee, thanks guys. What would I do without you?" Akari rolled her eyes.

They each grabbed one side of her cheek and pinched hard. "Your welcome!"

"Ow! Let go you idiots!"

"Akari! No foul language!" Nanami yelled from the cashier.

* * *

Akari squirmed under their intense gaze. Their hair was styled to perfection, their nails manicured, their faces applied with make-up, their clothes neat and stylish. They were ladies form a high end saloon Nanami goes to. The only reason Nanami could afford haircuts from here was because she an old friend of the manager, Kisa.

"We have a lot of work to do," Kisa said placing her hand on her hip. The other ladies nodded solemnly.

_People seem to enjoy crushing my self-esteem._

They disappeared into a room and came out carrying things Akari could not even begin to identify.

She knew she was in for one heck of a day.

"Hold still hon."

Akari tried to keep still as some green goop was lathered onto her face. Two cucumber slices were place on her face for reasons she did not know. At the same time she could feel her nails being clipped and nail polish being spread over them. After a while the goop was wiped off with a towel and cucumber slices taken away. She now saw a pair of tweezers coming towards her and sharp pain on her forehead.

"Ouch! What was that for?" she asked rubbing the painful spot.

"Your eyebrows aren't thick but you have a few wandering strands of hair." said a pretty red-head.

She plucked another strand of hair which made Akari yelp. After one or two more plucks, her face was reapplied with some white cream and two fresh cucumbers placed on her eyes.

_Why the hell are they using cucumbers?_

* * *

"Okay dear. This is going to be a little uncomfortable."

_How can it possibly be any more uncomfortable? I'm lying down on a table wearing only a freaking towel!_

Kisa applied some goop on Akari's legs.

"This isn't so bad," Akari said smiling, enjoying the nice tingling sensation across her legs.

Kisa chuckled. "Thats right." She put some strips of paper-like material on Akari's legs.

"On the count of three okay?" Kisa said.

"Huh? Count of three?" Akari asked, alarmed.

"One."

"Two."

"Wait!" Akari yelled.

"Three!"

Akari screamed loud and long.

* * *

"Why didn't you tell me you were going to wax my legs?"

Kisa smiled, "If you knew, you'd just put up a fight and end up losing. Now, that would just be a waste of time, wouldn't it?"

Akari grunted. The pain had subsided but there was still an unpleasant tingle running across her legs. She watched hair fall from her head onto the floor as Kisa trimmed her hair with quick snips.

"You have such nice hair for some one who isn't interested in taking care of her appearance." Akari saw that Kisa was smiling bemusedly.

Akari sighed. "If I dont' take care of it, my mum would be more than happy to take care of it herself." She shuddered, "And that would be a lot more painful than waxing my legs."

Kisa gave a tinkly laugh which showed her pearly white teeth. "I see."

"Well Nanami, we've done our best with your daughter," Kisa said.

Akari sulked. _She's making it sound like I used to look like a troll._

"She can come tomorrow, so that we can apply make-up and style her hair," Kisa continued.

Nanami smiled brightly. "Wonderful."

"Yeah, just peachy," Akari mumbled.

When tomorrow came, Akari felt a sinking feeling in her stomach immediately. Nanami took her to the salon a few hours before the ball. There, Kisa and her 'goons' as Akari referred to them, began to work on Akari. They applied and reapplied creams and moisturizers on her face, used curlers and flat irons on her hair and slapped on make-up on her face.

"Can I have a look?" Akari asked politely when she felt no one tampering on any part of her.

"No!" one of Kisa's 'goons' barked.

"You don't get to look at yourself until we say so," Kisa said. "Now put this on," Kisa ordered pushing Akari's dress into Akari's arms.

Akari did as she was told as slipped into the dress that her mum and twins had picked out for her and put on the high heels. She tried her best to walk out of the dressing room as dignified as she could. Alas, the heels made her wobble a little.

_Ugh...I hope I don't trip._

Nanami looked at her daughter as she walked out and her eyes popped out, "Akari!"

Akari suddenly felt very self-conscious. "What? Do I really look that bad?" She fingered her dress, "I knew we shouldn't have gotten this dress, it probably makes me look like a sack of potatoes and..."

"Oh Akari! You look stunning."

Akari blinked as she watched her mums eyes tear up. "Can have I look for myself?"

"Of course hon." Kisa steered Akari towards a full length mirror.

Akari looked at herself in the mirror and merely blinked. It took a few seconds for her to gauge her entire appearance. When it finally sunk in, she choked on a piece of gum she was chewing.

"That can't be be me," she choked out when she was finally able to swallow the piece of gum and stop coughing. She did not look anything like what she did before. Her normally pale skin now had a rosy glow. Her hair which was usually in a messy ponytail had been curled slightly at the ends and was shiny. Bright hazel eyes she thought she could never have stared back at her.

She took a step back and looked at her whole self. The dress _was_ right. In fact it was perfect. It was an emerald green dress that fell to the floor. It was simple yet elegant. The heels were black but were unfortunately a bit too high for Akari's centre of gravity.

Kisa and the other women in the salon smiled proudly. "Ladies, I think we did an excellent job," Kisa said triumphantly and they started clapping.

"Oh you did do excellent!" Nanami blew her nose into a tissue, "You look wonderful, Akari."

Akari grimaced. "Are you saying I looked ugly before?"

* * *

Her cheeks hurt as she gave another large and forced smile. "Thank you." she said as politely as she could.

The old lady in front of her gave a superficial laugh. "You really have improved. I still remember you as a child. You were so boyish with no sense of etiquette that I had a hard time believing you were a girl." She adjusted the fur coat wrapped around her. "Ugly duckling into a swan is most certainly your life story."

Akari felt a crack in her perfectly arranged face. "Thank you," she said once again, this time a little more strained.

_You ugly old hag._

"It was nice talking to you dear," the old lady said.

"It was nice meeting you." Akari gave a little bow and the old lady shuffled towards her next victim, a wine glass in hand.

Akari breathed in relief. "Thank god." For half an hour she had been meeting people who had she no clue were but they claimed to have known her when she was a child. For half an hour she been faking smiles and laughs for them and her cheeks were beginning to hurt. She was not used to smiling so much. For half an hour she had been abandoned by her father who went to get them drinks but was sidetracked by business associates.

He still wasn't here. Her mouth felt dry so she stood up and decided to get herself a drink. She walked as carefully as she could in her heels towards the buffet table. A waiter, who looked quite young compared to the others she had seen, was standing by the table and poured a drink for her. She felt uncomfortable as he looked her up and down. When he handed her the drink, he gave a small wink. She just grabbed her drink and walked back to her table, her cheeks flaming. No boy had _ever_ winked at her.

Did she really look prettier than before?

Before she had the chance to ponder on the answer, she was startled by a voice calling out her name.

"My dear niece!"

Her blood turned cold at the sound of the word 'niece'.

_Just kill me NOW!_

She stood up and readied herself for a battle. However, she needn't ready herself. The hug she had anticipated never came. She opened one eye and saw that Tamaki was standing in front of her, looking gobsmacked. It wasn't just Tamaki, the other Host Club members were there too and looked equally as surprised.

Except Mori and Kyoya. But that was normal.

Tamaki blinked, "My niece looks so pretty!" He bounded on her and gave her a giant bear hug.

Ironically, she was saved by Hikaru and Kaoru. "Tono, don't' hug her like that. You'll wrinkle her dress," Hikaru said as he grabbed Tamaki's tuxedo coat.

"We spent a lot of time picking out the dress for her. " Kaoru said, also pulling Tamaki's coat.

Tamaki head jerked to the left like he had just been slapped. "The both of you helped Akari pick a dress? First you help mu daughter without telling me and now my niece too!"

Kyoya glared at Tamaki. "Tamaki, could you not make a scene at an event like this."

Tamaki's eyes teared. He grabbed Kyoya tightly and sputtered, "D-does mother not love me?"

Akari never got to see Kyoya's reaction as Hunny had appeared in front of her with Mori behind him as usual.

"You look so cute Aka-chan!" Hunny smiled brightly, clutching his beloved Usa-chan. "Right Takashi?"

"Ah," was all Mori said.

Akari laughed nervously, her cheeks becoming warm. "Thank you."

"You look very different Akari," Haruhi said while holding a plate of food.

Akari looked at Haruhi who was wearing a light pink dress with heels. Her short cropped hair was now covered with a brunette long haired wig. "You look very different too Haruhi." She smiled, "And pretty. Did Tamaki tell you that?"

Haruhi continued to eat. "No, he just turned red and mumbled something," she said offhandedly.

Akari inwardly grinned. "Oh."

Two arms slung around her. "You look pretty Akari," Kaoru said with a grin.

"Yeah, very pretty," Hikaru said with a grin and sent her a wink. "I suppose its partly thanks to us."

Kaoru nodded, "We are really good at picking out dresses." He smirked slyly, "Its not just you. Look at Haruhi. When Tamaki saw her, it was like he was about to jump her."

Tamaki gave a yell of horror. He dispatched himself from Kyoya and walked towards the twins. "How dare you say such horrible things!"

Hikaru shrugged. "We're just saying what everyone was thinking."

Tamaki looked like he was about to implode when Haruhi looking very innocent asked, "What do you mean by 'jump her'?"

Akari rolled her eyes as Hikaru and Kaoru laughed hysterically and Tamaki turned as white as a sheet. She saw that Hunny was helping to himself to dessert as Mori watched over him. Kyoya was busy talking to some important looking man with a furry mustache.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I hope you're having a good time," a male voice boomed out through the speakers.

"I wish I was," Akari mumbled.

"To kick things off, we're expecting each and every one of of you to dance. So no sitting at your table and sulking," he said with a laugh. "And to set the mood, we're going to randomly pick two people to start the dance."

The lights dimmed and a spotlight came from nowhere and started to move around going form one person to another. Akari could hear Tamaki, who was standing next to her say over and over again, "Please pick me and Haruhi." while crossing his fingers.

The spotlight stopped and Akari saw that it had landed on Kyoya. She saw that Kyoya's face remained as cool as always.

_Hn. Typical heartless Kyoya, dancing with a stranger is probably just another business opportunity._

"We have our male partner, Kyoya Ootori-san!" the voice said with enthusiasm. There were screams and squeals from the girls when his name was announced.

The dj chuckled, "I can see that he's very popular."

Akari stopped herself form making a gagging noise. That was when she noticed that Hikaru and Kaoru who had been standing next to her had disappeared. She looked around but saw no sign of their red hair anywhere.

"Now for his partner!" the dj's voice rang distracting Akari. _That voice, I think I know it._

No one else seemed to share Akari's sentiment especially when another spotlight came on and started moving across the crowd. All the girls tittered excitedly at the chance of dancing with Kyoya. When it landed on a pretty dark-haired girl, she shrieked but it quickly moved away and her face fell. Akari crossed her arms, waiting for this whole thing to be over when she felt the bright light shining on her. She assumed the bright light would move away as it had from the shrieking girl but it didn't. Her whole body froze.

_Please, no..._

"We have found Koya-san's dance partner. Akari Shirafuji!" the dj said with excitement. Akari watched in horror as Kyoya walked towards her. The people in front of her moved away as Kyoya approached her and held out his hand. She looked at the hand as if it was a disease.

_I wonder if I can run?_

Then, from the corner of her eye she saw her father looking expectantly at her. She saw _everyone_ looking expectantly at her, including the old lady with the fur coat. The old lady smirked when Akari still hadn't took hold of Kyoya's hand. Akari felt a rush of dislike towards her and wanted so badly to wipe that smug look off her face. So without another moment of hesitation, she took Koya's hand. He wrapped his fingers around her hand and led her onto the dance floor.

"Kyoya, I can't dance." Akari whispered frantically.

Kyoya's expression didn't even change. "Did you think I did not know that?"

Akari didn't have to chance to be offended for Kyoya had placed his one arm around her waist and the other held her hand. "Place your hand on my shoulder," Kyoya instructed.

Akari did not even make a sound as she placed her hand on his shoulder even though their proximity was making her insides go haywire. Then, the nightmare started. The music started playing in the background.

"Just trust me and follow my lead." Kyoya murmured.

"Trust you?" Akari spluttered. However, she had no choice. Akari followed his steps as the music played.

_I have you breathing down my neck  
I don't what you could possibly expect under this condition so  
I'll wait for the ambulance to come  
Pick us up off the floor  
What did you possibly expect under this condition so_

He held her so close that she could smell him. Akari recognized it from the incident at the amusement park months ago. It seemed so long ago. Over the past months, she felt like she had been spending more time with him especially after the amusement park trip. Sure, sometimes she felt a little funny when she was with him but then she would get angry at him and it felt like things returned to normal.

But sometimes whenever she stole a glance at him, there was something inside her that reared its head. Also, once she caught him staring at her. However, it wasn't the staring that got to her, it was something in his eyes, even if she just saw it for the briefest of moments.

"Now spin," he ordered. Akari did as he instructed. She nearly lost her footing but he quickly caught her. Suddenly, they were closer than ever. It was getting harder for her to breathe and her heart was going out of control.

_What's wrong with me?_

_Slow down.. this night's a perfect shade of  
Dark blue  
Have you ever been alone in a crowded room when I'm here with you  
I said the world could be burning down  
Dark blue  
Have you ever been alone in a crowded room well I'm here with you  
I said the world could be burning 'til there's nothing but dark blue..  
Just dark blue_

She brought her eyes to him and immediately regretted it. A small smirk played on his lips and he looked down at her in amusement.

"Why are you looking so happy?" she snapped.

"Nothing of your concern," he replied, smirk still intact.

She tried to put some space between them but his arm was placed securely around her waist. Instead, he pulled her closer. Her breath hitched.

_This flood is slowly rising up swallowing the ground  
Beneath my feet, Tell me how anybody thinks under this condition so  
I'll swim as the water rises up, the sun is sinking down  
And now all I can see are the planets in a row  
Suggesting it's best that I slow down_

She felt like she was in a movie under the spotlight. Everyone was looking at them dancing and it rattled her. She couldn't wait for the dance to be over.

_We were boxing  
We were boxing the stars  
We were boxing  
You were swinging for Mars  
And then the water reached the West Coast  
And took the power lines  
And it was me and you (this could last forever)  
And the whole town under water  
There was nothing we could do  
It was dark blue_

Akari wobbled when she almost lost her balance.

"Could you be anymore more graceful?" Kyoya asked sarcastically.

She huffed. "Its not my fault. Its these stupid shoes."

"You can't blame something on what you had always lacked," Kyoya chided.

"Stop being an smart ass and just shut up," Akari growled under her breath.

"You have to watch your mouth. What would these people think if they heard you?" Kyoya said.

"I don't care what these people think." She carefully followed Kyoya's footsteps. "They come here and pretend to be all charitable but in reality they don't give two hoots about charity."

Kyoya spun her around. "Of course they don't. Its all about their image," Kyoya said when she was facing him again.

"No one really cares about the people around them," she muttered.

Kyoya pulled her closer and whispered, "Some of us do actually care."

"Are you saying you're one them," Akari scoffed.

Kyoya paused. "Yes."

* * *

"This is getting interesting," Hikaru and Kaoru whispered from the dj booth.

"You couldn't think of another way?" Haruhi asked monotonously.

"My daughter is right. Did you have to be so violent?" Tamaki asked.

They looked at the unconscious dj lying on the floor.

"He was being difficult," Hikaru said while shrugging.

"Aka-chan and Kyo-chan look so cute together!" Hunny gushed.

"Ah," Mori said.

Haruhi stuffed her mouth with a piece of ootoro. "Kyoya-senpai would kill the both of you if he found out." She swallowed, "Akari would too."

Kaoru gave Haruhi a Cheshire grin, "What they don't know won't kill them."

All of them pressed their faces against the glass that gave them a full view of the entire ball room. Others had come to join Akari and Kyoya on the dance floor but they kept their eyes fixed on Akari and Kyoya. That was when they saw Kyoya bend down and whisper something into Akari's ear. Akari's face immediately turned a bright red.

"What did mother say to my dear niece?" Tamaki exclaimed.

"We should have put a mic on Akari," Hikaru said regretfully.

They pressed their faces on the glass hoping for more.

"What do you people think you're doing?" a voice asked.

"AAHH!" everyone shouted.

* * *

_Dark blue  
Have you ever been alone in a crowded room well I'm here with you  
I said the world could be burning down  
Dark blue  
Have you ever been alone in a crowded room well I'm here with you  
I said the world could be burning now there's nothing but dark blue_

_If you've ever been alone in the dark blue  
If you've ever been alone you'll know_

The song finished and Kyoya stepped away from Akari and bowed.

Akari sighed in relief. _I made it! _She gave a curtsy and they walked towards the food section where they saw Tamaki holding an ice pack to his head while the others Host Club members surrounded him.

Akari cocked her head to the side. "What happened to you Tamaki-senpai?"

He momentarily glared at Hikaru and Kaoru before looking at Akari. He was about to open his mouth when Hikaru and Kaoru interrupted him.

"When you pick a fight with someone," Kaoru started.

"Make sure you have an idiot to cover for you," Hikaru finished with a smirk.

That was when Tamaki lunged at them.

* * *

Akari looked up at the night sky, glad for the fresh air. The stars were scattered across the dark sky and the moon was full and bright. The garden below had been lit up beautifully and water in the fountain seemed to be made of tiny diamonds. The air was cold and Akari shivered a little but it felt better to be free out here than judged and scrutinized inside.

She heard footsteps coming up behind her and her heart did a somersault when she heard his voice. "There you are."

"Here I am," Akari deadpanned. She gave a sigh. Her good mood had been ruined. "Is there something you want Kyoya-senpai?"

"Just the pleasure of your company," Kyoya replied, walking up to stand by her side.

Akari didn't say anything and neither did he. She fidgeted and tapped her fingers when she remembered what he had said inside when they were dancing. Her cheeks flushed at the very thought of it. Akari tried to focus on something else but her mind quickly wandered back to it.

Without thinking, she asked him, "Did you mean what you said just now."

He merely faced her and raised an eyebrow. "And what might that be?"

She groaned and her cheeks turned redder at the thought of explaining. She shook her head and muttered, "Never mind, its not important."

There was a moment of silence before he said, "I don't lie."

She snorted. "Could have fooled me."

He smirked, "I may be persuasive but I certainly do not lie." He took a step towards her, "I am an honest person."

"Then I guess honest people are not to be trusted," Akari stated with a roll of her eyes.

"You like me," Kyoya said as matter-of-fact.

The dreamy like state Akari had been in was quickly replaced with shock and tension. Her heart hammered painfully at his sudden statement and she stared incredulously at him. "What was that?"

Kyoya smirked, obviously overjoyed a her reaction. "I said you like me."

A strangled noise came out from Akari's throat. "No, I dont'!" she spluttered. "Are you drunk?"

"I assure you, Akari I am completely sober."

"Then you're mad! I don't like you!"

"Hypocrisy is not a good trait to have. You talk about being honest and yet here you are lying to yourself." he taunted. He was directly facing her now. "Are you hoping for a kiss from me?"

"What?" Akari practically shrieked. "I don't want a kiss from you of all people!"

"Its okay if you want a kiss from me," he said. His smile was light and teasing as he took a step towards her but she didn't take a step backwards in response. Instead, she stood rooted into the spot. Her eyes looked into his fathomless onyx eyes.

"I don't," she whispered.

Kyoya's face came closer to hers and yet she still didn't move. "Still lying I see." he said huskily. His hand moved to the side of her face and tucked a stray hair behind her ear.

The light brush had sent a shier down her spine. "In case you didn't notice, I'm not the one moving closer." she said, her voice barely audible.

He laughed softly. "It would seem so." He inched closer, "But you're not even trying to move away."

"That's because you can't scare me," she said defiantly. Truthfully, she was scared to death but she refused to move because she knew he was just messing with her. He was just trying to make her look like an idiot as usual and she wasn't about to let that happened.

"I can't ?" he teased her. He was quiet for a second and Akari could hear the faint sound of music floating from inside.

"I meant what I said. You do look beautiful." She turned red right to the roots of her hair and he just laughed softly before pulling back from her.

Akari wasn't sure how it happened but as she was watching him pull away from her, her heart ached and she felt a distinct touch of disappointment in the back of her mind. It was like a magnetic lull pulled her to towards him. She took one step forward as he moved away. She only caught a glimpse of his surprised face before she leaned in to kiss him.

Akari gasped when she felt him kissing her in response. Her mind quickly blurred into colorful patterns that flashed under her eyes. Her usually chattering mind quietened down into a low humming sound. She grabbed the front of his jacket to steady herself from becoming a pile of goo as he gently pushed her against the wall.

She was suddenly aware of everything that was happening. The hole she felt his hand burning through her neck, the multiple shivers running up and down as he lightly grazed her back, and the electricity she felt on her lips as he kissed her.

Kyoya slanted his head and deepened the kiss. Akari gasped every so often, trying to think straight. The colors flashed brighter, the humming became louder and the fire burned even more. Her mind was a jumbled mess but her body couldn't have been more alive.

It felt so good. _So good_.

So _alive. _She felt so-

_Wow._

It was getting harder to breathe. She _needed _to breathe.

Then as if reading her mind, he lifted his lips from hers. Akari's eyes shot open in shock and she saw his face that was devoid of any emotion. She just stared at him, breathing heavily. "I-" She closed her mouth, unsure of what to say.

Her mind raced as her mind tried to formulate words. She felt the cold air enveloping her as he stepped away. Her eyes became blurry but she struggled to focus.

"Akari,-"

Her body shrank away from him but her heart was delirious with happiness when he said her name. It was so confusing and painful.

Without saying a word, she picked up her dress and ran.

But even as she ran, she couldn't escape the fact that in this messed up new world she was caught in, when he had his arms around her she felt _normal_ for the first time.

* * *

**Ok, so I don't have a good reason anymore for being so late in this update but please forgive me. I'll give you cookiesXD...or you can shoot me**.

**Music :Dark Blue by Jack's Mannequin**

**Please do review! Pretty please!**


	9. Signal Fire

**To 13Lulu's, Hao'sAnjul, Kinz, SkyFirestorm, darkheart1992, CrossroadsofLife, WinterMission, waterpeach4, CelestialxChaos, IKillFangirls4Fun, crystal tomoe, Punk Rocker Fairy, Quest Blackstone, PlasmaDragon007...**

**Thank you for reviewing=)**

**Disclaimer: Me + OHSHC = I don't own it. Steal my OC's and there will be consequences.**

* * *

**Written by: **Ordinary Magic

**Nothing but you,**

**How I wish it wasn't so.**

**-  
**It creeps in, like a spider  
Can't be killed, although I try and try to  
But don't you see I'm falling?  
Don't wanna love you  
But I do.  
-Stop This Song by Paramore-  
**-**

**Chapter 9**** Signal Fire**

* * *

_There you are, standing right in front of me  
There you are, standing right in front of me  
All this fear falls away to leave me naked  
Hold me close  
Cause I need you to guide me to safety..._

_In the confusion  
and the aftermath  
You are my signal fire_

**-Signal Fire by Snow Patrol-**

* * *

_I am such an idiot._

Akari sat on the sidewalk near her apartment, her heart heavy and her mind a cross between mashed potato and minced meat. She stared at the small stones covering the ground beneath her feet. Her beautiful dress splayed out across the pavement, no doubt getting dirty but Akari didn't care. The high heels no longer hurt her feet as she was just sitting down.

She sighed.

_What have I done?_

She could still feel it. She could still feel his arm around her, his hair tickling her face, his lips on hers. The smell of peppermint from his mouth, the smell of his soap and shampoo and a hint of cologne. She had breathed it in, letting it suffocate her. She would have died happy.

_What was I thinking?_

Everything in the world had seemed so right, so perfect. She didn't think and that was the point. Who needed to think when they were so deliriously happy and intoxicated? Definitely not her. But now that it was over and the cold air slowly took away the electricity from her, she was thinking. There was no delirious happiness, only the cold hard ground. She didn't keep her feet on the ground when she was in the clouds. The landing back to earth was painful one to say the least.

She wondered if she wanted Kyoya to come after her.

_Well, he didn't and that definitely says something._

Akari buried her face in her hands. She was used to making mistakes, she was human after all but this mistake seemed colossal. Too big for for the her mind to accept and deal with.

"What have I done?"

"What have _you_ done?"

Akari jumped at the musical voice that interrupted her misery for about a nanosecond. She looked up, startled and saw a concerned Kanako looking down at her. Her hair was in a messy ponytail and she was wearing a plain pair of jeans and t-shirt but even then Akari couldn't help but feel a little envy towards her. Even in her plain clothing, Akari felt that Kanako looked ten times better than her all made up.

Kanako sat down gingerly next to Akari and twisted her body to face Akari. She smiled a little. "You look really pretty Akari."

Akari looked up and smiled. "Thanks," she muttered.

Kanako raised an eyebrow and asked the inevitable question. "What are you doing out here in a dress like that?"

"I just came back from a charity event," was Akari's automatic response.

Kanako rolled her eyes. "Akari, what's wrong?"

Akari tensed up and an image of Kyoya flashed in her mind. "Nothing's wrong. What would make you say something like that?"

Kanako sighed. "For one, your voice is higher than usual." She ticked off a finger on her hand. "You keep twiddling our thumbs and you are out here at night in a dress not meant to be used when sitting on a dirty sidewalk." She flared her hands at Akari's for for effect.

"And," her voice was slow and quiet, "No one asks themselves what they've done _unless_ something is wrong." She looked at Akari dead in the eye, "So don't even try to bullshit me with your nothing is wrong because if nothing is wrong I would have a pipe up my arse."

Akari swallowed and looked away from Kanako. Her cheeks flushed at the thought of telling Kanako that she- that she kissed Kyoya. Akari felt grateful for the shadow the night provided, aiding her in hiding her face that often revealed too much. How was it even possible to tell someone something so intimate and private? _Especially_ after her repeatedly saying she hated him. It was humiliating and uncomfortable and something she couldn't handle.

At least not right now.

Still, she wouldn't lie. "Something is wrong-" Kanako's face brightened at Akari honest answer, "but I really don't want to talk about it." Kanako's face fell and she opened her mouth to prompt but at the sight of Akari's pleading face to let it go, she closed her mouth.

"Okay," she replied, a little disappointed. "But, you should really go inside or you'll freeze to death."

Akari nodded nimbly and stretched her legs. With a little bit of effort, she pulled herself up. Kanako got up as well and bid Akari goodnight. Akari watched Kanako turn around and walk away.

"I kissed him," Akari said loud and clearly. She flinched at her words but there was no way to take them back now.

Kanako whipped around so fast, it looked like her neck should have snapped off from the speed. She walked brusquely to Akari and looked at her. "And by _him_, you mean-"

"Yes," Akari cut her off, not wanting to hear his name right now.

Kanako whistled, "Well, well, litttle Akari is all grown up."

Akari resisted the urge to hit Kanako at her flippant response and sighed. "It was a mistake," Akari said, her voice solemn.

Kanako looked at Akari for a minute and then laughed loudly. Akari huffed at Kanako's seemingly insensitive sense of humor.

"I'm in misery and you're laughing?"

Kanako shook her head. "It wasn't a mistake and you know it."

Akari opened her mouth to protest but Kanako cut her off. "Maybe that's what you want to think and you've probably deluded yourself into thinking that but I'm here to set you straight." Kanako put her hands on both of her shoulders and gave her a shake.

"Hear this loud and clear." She took a deep breath and dragged each syllable as she said, "You. like. him."

Akari gasped like Kanako had something so foul and unforgivable. The words Kyoya had uttered not too long ago. _Why does everyone seem so convinced I like him._ She glared at Kanako and hissed, "I don't."

Kanako nodded. "You do."

"I don't." Akari took a deep breath, "Even if I do-" Kanako's face brightened, "-which I'm not saying I am, it would just end in heartbreak. All relationships do."

Kanako's face softened and her voice was gentle. "Not all relationships do, Akari." She put her hand on Akari's arm, "Maybe your parents didn't work out but that doesn't mean it won't for you."

"You don't know that."

"Maybe I don't but you can' live your life with 'if's' and 'maybe's', you know."

Akari muttered under her breath, "It seems like a pretty good way to live."

Kanako let go of Akari and felt like finally had an understanding of her neighbor. "You need time to figure out what you want."

"I definitely don't want him." Akari crossed her arms stubbornly over her chest.

"Say what you want," Kanako said in a sing-song voice. She turned around and made her way back to her home. Suddenly, she stopped and turned around to Akari who was already on her way.

"Akari," Akari turned and wondered what in the world Kanako wanted to say. She concluded that Kanako would say something to tease her.

Kanako smiled and she placed her hands behind her back. Her voice was just enough so Akari could hear it. "Wanting something may be painful but as bad that may be-," Kanako looked meaningfully at Akari, "-its the people who _don't_ know what they want that suffer the most."

She looked at Akari seriously, "_You _don't know what you want," She grinned, "Hurry up and know what you want." With a little twirl, she turned around and headed back home.

"I do know what I want," Akari mumbled. "And its not him."

* * *

Akari grumbled as she hung up decorations in the class.

"Please be careful with those decorations Akari-san," the class president chirped.

Akari began muttering under her breath, "You should be careful Kazukiyo-san, or these just might end up up your goody goody as-"

"Did you say something, Akari-san?" he asked cheerfully.

She grumbled under her breath. Her eyes felt heavy and her body ached. No thanks to Kanako, she had stayed up practically all night tossing and turning, thinking about what she had said about knowing what you want. When she did finally manage to sleep, she dreamed of _him_.

To top it off, they had to decorate their classroom because apparently some very very excruciatingly important person was coming to the school. Therefore, to show that the students were creative and hardworking, they had to decorate the class.

_So much for sleeping in class._

"Akari?" Kazukiyo called out in a concerned manner. "Did you say something?" he asked curiously.

Still, no point in taking out her frustration on the innocent class president -no matter how good it felt. Her face broke into a forced smile, "No, Iinchou."

His face turned red and he mumbled something while walking away.

Okay, she couldn't resist calling him Iinchou.

"Ah wait! I have to ask you-" Akari turned around too quickly and found herself falling from the ladder.

She cursed herself for her constant clumsiness at the absolute wrong times. She expected a hard hit on the ground but instead felt something softer. Akari fluttered one eye open only to be horrified that Kaoru had caught her mid-fall. He was smirking as he said, "Tsk, tsk. You really should be more careful Akari."

She scowled, "Just shut up and put me down."

"Gladly." She half-expected herself to be dropped onto the ground but was grateful that Kaoru had set her down gently. She had a strong suspicion that had it been Hikaru, he would have definitely dropped her. Somehow to Akari Hikaru seemed a lot more meaner than Kaoru.

"So why did you leave the charity so early?" Kaoru asked.

Her insides cringed but she knew this was coming. "I was tired of seeing obnoxious rich people pretending to be charitable."

Kaoru raised an eyebrow, "I don't think that would have made you ran."

She huffed and looked around trying to change the subject. "Where's Hikaru?"

Kaoru nodded towards Hikaru and Haruhi who were in a corner working on decorations. She asked what seemed to be a natural question, "Why aren't you with them?"

He shrugged, "I was busy saving your life."

She rolled her eyes. "Ok, thank you Kaoru Hitachiin for saving my life. Now, go away." She gestured towards the opposite side of the classroom, "Shoo, shoo."

Her eyes rested once again on Hikaru and Haruhi and she saw Haruhi lean over Hikaru to get something. She eyed Hikaru curiously and was suurprised to see Hikaru go a little red. She blinked.

_That's weird. Why is Hikaru blushing?...unless... _

She looked at Kaoru for a moment, "Does Hikaru like Haruhi?"

He smiled a little, "For a clumsy, fashion reject like yourself, you sure are observant."

She sulked but looked at Kaoru curiously from the corner of her eye. His expression was something like forlorn. She looked at Hikaru and Haruhi again before asking, albeit a little more quietly, "Do you like her?"

He stopped playing around with the fabric and smirked at Akari. He pinched her left cheek and said, "Such a funny girl."

She slapped his hand away and frowned at him. "If you don't want to answer my damn question, just say so."

Kaoru just laughed and began cutting up something. She turned away from him and began busying herself when she heard his voice, barely audible enough for her to hear.

"You better make the most out of this chance Hikaru."

Akari stopped for a moment and processed what he said. She didn't expect to ever see such a serious side of Kaoru. She knew he didn't mean for her to hear what he had said, but she did hear. Deciding it was best to leave him alone, even though he never did give her the same gift, she kept quiet and worked away.

Then before she could stop herself, she said, "You're a good person."

He smiled before grinning. "Aww, you like me."

"Shut up. You just completely ruined my perception of you." She grabbed some fabric, "Just when we were having a bonding between friends and I was beginning to think you weren't such a pain."

He grinned wider and grabbed both her hands. "We can bond now." He began to swing their hands, "So, whats your favorite color?"

Akari rolled her eyes. "Would you just let go. I need to get back to decorating."

That's when she saw over Kaoru's shoulder a head of black hair she recognized.

It was Kyoya.

She stood transfixed as she watched Kyoya hand a folder to her homeroom teacher. Her heart began its usual rapid beating while her stomach did leaps and dives. She tried to force herself to look away and just as she was gaining success, he looked up in her direction.

For one second their eyes locked. Her face turned a light pink -the blush of someone caught staring- before she averted her eyes back to Kaoru, not wanting to arouse any suspicion on Kaoru's part. It would have been mortifying if Kaoru had caught her staring at Kyoya.

"Hello Akari!"

She blinked, "Huh?"

"What's your favorite color?"

Her mind was blank and before she had the the chance to hesitate, she replied "Black." She flushed at her answer as she remembered _his _head of black hair. Kanako would have smiled so widely had she been here to hear Akari's answer and proceed to point out the implication of her said answer. She avoided Kaoru's eyes and instead looked at Kazukiyo blushing furiously as a girl she knew whose name was Momoka talked to him.

Kaoru frowned before nodding in an approving manner, "Black definitely suits you."

She looked incredulously at him. "I don't like black."

He gave a confused look and raised an eyebrow. "But you just said-"

"I know what I said, " she snapped. "I wasn't thinking."

Kaoru rolled his eyes. He took a few steps back while holding his hands up before he drawled out, "You're PMSing aren't you?"

"What did you say?" Akari very well yelled.

A huge roll of fabric came flying at him but he merely sidestepped it and instead it hit the class president right on the head.

The class president swayed to left and then to the right. He had a goofy smile on his face and said in a drunk-like voice, "Spongebob Squarepants is my best friend," before falling flat on the ground.

"Good God." Kaoru shook his head, "Women and PMS are very dangerous indeed."

* * *

Akari's eyes squinted against the bright sunlight as she looked at up at the sky. The air was warm and had a salty taste and she cold feel sand beneath her feet.

Once again she found herself wishing she was somewhere far away.

"Isn't the beach a lovely place my dear niece?"

_Very_ far away.

Akari mumbled something incoherent and turned a deaf ear as Tamaki continued to chatter on.

She saw the twins sulking faces in front of her.

Eyebrows raised she questioned, "Why in the world are you both looking like someone died?"

Hikaru gave a sigh, "You were supposed to wear this." He held up a two piece white bikini.

She rolled her eyes. "Right."

* * *

_10 minutes ago_

Hikaru shoved a bikini into Akari's hands. "You're going to wear this."

Akari looked at the garment and recoiled. She dropped it on the ground and said, "No way."

Kaoru joined his brother by his side. "Oh come on Akari. It'll look better than what you're wearing now."

He looked distastefully at the t-shirt and shorts she was sporting.

"I happen to like what I'm wearing," Akari said in retaliation.

They grinned, "We have a way to make things go our way."

Kaoru took a step forward, "So we can do this the easy way-" He cracked his knuckles, "-Or the hard way."

Hikaru took a step forward as well to stand beside his brother. "So what will it be?"

Akari looked from Hikaru to Kaoru. Their grins were wide and mocking, knowing they had the upper hand. Two against one and just like last time, they would get their way. She remembered them dragging her to Third Music Room, where everything had started. She blinked once when she realized that the reason she was even in this predicament was because of the twins.

Well, she wasn't going to let them win this round. She balled up her fists and dug her feet into the sand before responding, "The hard way."

She only managed to catch their shocked expressions turn to evil grins. Just as the twins were about to spring on her, she turned around and sprinted towards the only person who could possibly help her.

"Mori-senpai! Help!"

Mori turned sharply at the sound of her call for help. She dived and landed behind Mori's tall stature. Hikaru and Kaoru managed to stop in time and avoided knocking into Mori.

"Mori-senpai, could you please move," Hikaru asked.

"No."

Kaoru did a double take before pouting, "But Mori-senpai, we just want to dress her."

Mori deep voice rumbled as he said, "If she does not want to, you have to respect her wishes."

Hunny appeared beside her. While munching on a piece of cake he said to the twins, "Takashi is right." He took another bite of his cake and looked at the bikini Hikaru and Kaoru were holding thoughtfully. "But Aka-chan would look so cute in the swimsuit."

Hikaru and Koaru perked up at Hunny's response. They knew if Hunny agreed with them, Mori would go along with it. Then, that would mean no protection for Akari. They each gave identical evil smiles.

"Yeah, Akari would so _adorable_ in it!" Hikaru said enthusiastically.

"She'll look so pretty," Kaoru encouraged.

Akari watched in horror as the twins sidled up to Hunny as he continued to ponder. Hikaru said quietly, "Besides, wouldn't it be fun-"

"-to see Kyoya-senpai's happy reaction when he sees her?" Kaoru continued.

Hunny munched on his cake and swallowed before answering. "Aka-chan would look very pretty and Kyo-chan would be happy-" The twins pumped their fists in the air while Akari fell to her knees to the ground with a look of utter hopelessness. "-but we shouldn't force Aka-chan to do something that wouldn't make her happy."

Akari breathed in relief as the dejected twins turned around and walked away. Though as soon as they spotted Haruhi who had just arrived, their grins returned.

* * *

"What about Haruhi?" Akari asked.

She looked around in search for the familiar crop of short brown hair. She spotted Haruhi walking towards them not wearing a bikini or even a swimsuit but instead was wearing a parka and shorts. Hikaru and Kaoru saw her too and their faces were aghast to find Haruhi dressed that way.

"Haruhi!" Hikaru pulled at Haruhi's parka in disgust. "What are you wearing?"

"Ah, Tamaki-senpai said I should wear this instead of the swimsuit," she said while slapping Hikaru's hand from her.

Akari and the twins cocked their head to one side. "Tamaki-senpai?" they asked in unison.

Tamaki suddenly appeared holding a rock. His eyes were bright and his smile eager as he held up the rock he was holding. "Everyone look at this! Its a rock shaped like me!"

Kaoru snatched the rock from Tamaki's hand much to Tamaki's annoyance and peered at the rock closely. "It doesn't to me," he finally said before flinging the rock away.

Tamaki gasped as he watched his look-alike rock flying away. "My roooock! Kaoru, why did you do that?" he exclaimed, rounding on Kaoru.

"The more important question is why didn't you let Haruhi wear the swimsuit we picked out for her?" Hikaru probed.

"Its not like any of our customers are here with us like last time." Kaoru continued. Hikaru and Kaoru looked at Tamaki suspiciousy and Akari couldn't help but feel suspicious too.

Tamaki went red and bent his head downwards. He twiddled his fingers and muttered something.

"What did you say Tamaki-senpai?" Akari asked.

He looked at Akari for a moment before exclaiming, "I didn't want Haruhi to feel weird being the only girl wearing a swimsuit." He pointed his finger at Akari, "If my niece does not have to wear a swimsuit, then my daughter doesn't have to either!"

"Don't blame me just cause you're having perverted thoughts about Haruhi," Akari retorted.

Tamaki went red again. "I am not a pervert! I am a loving father and uncle!"

Akari sighed as Tamaki continued to rant and twins were laughing and Haruhi just looked blankly at them.

_Always the same._

"Kyoya-senpai, why weren't our customers invited this time?" Kaoru asked. Akari stiffened at the sound of Kyoya's name. Her heart did multiple somersaults and her stomach clenched tightly. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach when she felt a warm brush on her arm. Before she had a chance to step away, Kyoya's voice caught her ears. "Tamaki decided on that."

Akari stiffened and threw her gaze to the sea. "Where are we?" she questioned. She aimed the question to Tamaki but Kyoya answered coolly, "This is my family's private beach." He gestured to the back of him. Mechanically, Akari turned around and saw a huge mansion by the beach. "We'll be staying in my family's mansion."

"Oh," she answered. Her mental capacity had been reduced to that of a gibbering idiot and that was the only answer she could give without sounding completely foolish.

Hikaru and Kaoru peered at Akari's face. "Akari, why is your face so red?"

_Same is better than this._

Akari felt her cheeks get warmer at Hikaru and Kaoru's sudden observation. She shrugged her shoulders as nonchalantly as she could, still not wanting to risk opening her mouth. She could feel Kyoya's eyes burning a hole through the side of her head and that made the situation worse than it needed to be. She had planned to avoid him like the plague but circumstances were against her.

_As usual._

And like fate was an ugly hag that absolutely hated her to the core, he was shirtless.

_Just great._

"Maybe she has fever," Kyoya stated normally.

To Akari's horror, Kyoya placed his palm on her forehead to feel her temperature like it was the most normal thing to do.

Okay, so it was normal, but she had just _kissed_ him. How was it possible for him to even go about his business like any other normal day when she was like a fish out of water. She felt a pang somewhere in her heart when she realized that the kiss had not affected him.

Not the way it had affected her.

Blood rushed to her cheeks as she felt his warm palm on her forehead. She concentrated on the sand particles under her feet and the way her feet sank slightly into the sand. She felt like was about to implode at any moment now._ It's amazing _, she thought _that I'm not bursting into flames at this very moment._ She definitely felt like was on fire.

Tamaki glanced worriedly at her, "Are you okay, Akari?"

She wanted to answer, say something sarcastic, something insulting, something witty, say _anything_ but all that greeted Tamaki's question was silence from her. Her mouth felt dry as if she had swallowed the sand beneath her feet. Instead it was Kyoya who answered. "She's fine," he said and took his palm off her forehead.

Akari swallowed thickly and tried to compose herself. She felt sick right now. Nauseated, and dizzy. _Ugh, I hate this. I hate you._

"Lets go for a swim eh?" Hikaru offered.

Akari shook her head, "No thanks."

The twins grinned.

* * *

She choked and coughed out sea water as she rose from the under the sea water. The salty taste in her mouth was overpowering and she had the urge to take her toothbrush and and toothpaste to get rid of the salty taste. Her drenched clothes clung to her skin as she stood up. She looked around and saw that the Hikaru, Kaoru, Haruhi and Tamaki were drenched too. Her eyes searched for Hunny and Mori and found them building a sandcastle. Hunny swung the spade in his hand happily as Mori turned a bucket of sand upside down.

She glanced around and realized that there was someone specific she was looking for, even if she didn't want to admit it out loud. Her eyes scanned along the beach until she found him. Kyoya was standing near the sea just so the water touched his feet.

_You like him._

Her heart banged against her ribcage as Kanako's words filled her head.

_You like him._

_You like him._

_You like him._

_Do I?_

She needed to think. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to think but she needed to figure things out. She wanted more time but he was right there. What if he asked her about it? What would she say?

It was mistake?

_No!_

No, she knew somewhere in her that saying that would be a lie. It was a lie. So, where did that leave her?

Confused. She used to hate him.

_Used to._

So, she liked him?

_Of course you do!_

Would have been Kanako's instant response if she were here.

"Yo, Akari! Dont' wander too far!"

Hikaru's voice snapped her out of her trans and she realized that she had drifted away from the rest. She closed her eyes and tried to think of something else. She didn't want to think of something like this with everyone around. She would think about it when she was alone. Pushing the thoughts out of her head, she swam back to the rest.

Akari caught sight of Kyoya again.

_I wonder how long it would take me to drown?_

* * *

Akari sat in the kitchen of the Ootori Mansion and sipped her glass of milk. This was the alone time she wanted but was dreading. It was time to think about things she preferred not to think about. It was night time and everyone was probably asleep already. It reminded her of the kiss. A shiver ran up her spine and her heart began to pound. It was as if the kiss had happened seconds ago and not a few days ago.

Instinctively, she brought her hand to brush her lips and realized that she was shaking all over. Her knees stumbled and deciding she couldn't stand anymore, she slumped against the wall and slid down until she lightly thumped on the floor. She brought her knees to her chest and sighed heavily.

_You like him. _Kanako's clear and determined voice rang in her head. It seemed so easy to blow off Kanako's statement before and citing it as complete insanity but now that she had a chance to have a few sleepless nights over it and many zoning outs, she wasn't so sure.

"But I hate him," she murmured softly. Even to her own ears, she sounded unsure. She might as well have put a question mark at the end of her statement. What had made her even do the previously unthinkable? She could blame it on the atmosphere, their proximity and the fact that he was accusing her of liking him.

However, she had never really been much of a romantic so she could cross out atmosphere. He had invaded her personal space numerous times before and nothing had resulted in a hug much less a kiss. He had said she liked him.

_Why would I do something that only proved his point?_

Akari hugged her knees and gave an exasperated sigh. She looked out the two sliding doors opposite her. It was a full moon tonight and it gave the garden outside a ethereal glow. Without thinking, Akari got up and walked towards the sliding doors. Placing her hand on the side of the door, she pulled it open. The gust of cold wind knocked her breathless. She wrapped her jacket around her tighter and slipped on a pair of slippers.

The grass crunched with every step she took, breaking the silence. She could hear the crickets and grasshoppers 'singing.' She made her way to the giant tree in the garden and sat down on the dry grass. She closed her eyes. Everything was so similar to her home. Back when her parents were still together and everything in the world was right.

Images flashed under her eyes as she remembered the dreams and the nightmares. A man laughing as he lay down on the cloth spread over green, green grass. A smiling woman with long flowing auburn hair holding a camera. It was sunny and the skies were blue. Akari watched the scene through her eyes. The man and woman were sharing an ice-cream now. Then they looked at her, and beckoned her closer.

The scene changed. The man and woman's shouts echoed across a rooms filled with books. There were sounds of doors slamming, hushed tears and more shouting. The sunny day was gone.

Akari buried her face in her hands as anguish filled her. The imaged played faster and faster in her head. Park. Laughter. Sun. Sky. Ice-cream. Shouts. Slamming doors. Tears.

A world turned upside down.

Its been six years and yet she could not let it go.

"Akari," a voice called out.

Akari's head snapped up at the sound of her name. "Kyoya-senpai?" Anguish was replaced by nervousness and anxiety. Her heart which felt dead just a few minutes ago, jolted back to life. She saw Kyoya standing in front of her, clad in a t-shirt and pants. Akari felt ashamed that such an important family occurrence was being overshadowed by a guy she _might_ like. She hugged her knees tighter and asked, "What are you doing out here?"

Kyoya raised an eyebrow,"I should ask you the same question."

She blinked stupidly before comprehending what he said. "Oh...I...um couldn't sleep." She glared at him, suddenly feeling angry that he had interrupted her alone time. "What are you doing here?"

Kyoya shifted his weight and glanced at Akari. "I was going to get a glass of water but I saw you sitting out here," He paused, "You kissed me and I would like to know why?"

Akari sucked a deep and uneven breath. She turned away so fast from him that her neck cricked. "Ouch!"

She rubbed her neck and muttered incoherently under her breath. She stiffened when she a felt a shadow loom over her and block the moonlight. Kyoya was now on eye level with her-or somewhat close to that. "Are you alright?"

Akari nodded and her stomach squirmed.

"Do you like me Akari?" She looked up sharply at his question. _What is up with him and his sudden questions which have nothing to do with the previous?_

His expression was calm and cool. "Its seems to be the only explanation I can think of as to why you kissed me because you don't just kiss any guy."

Kyoya's smirk was obvious in the moonlight. "Or do you?"

Her anger flared up and she glared at him. "Are you cra-" She faltered and her expression changed. She exhaled slowly, knowing full well that it was her own fault all this even happened. She couldn't blame him for his curiosity and she at least owed him _something_ for kissing him so suddenly. However, she couldn't answer his question because she wasn't so sure if she did like him or not. She reluctantly met his eyes and said, "I'm sorry but I can't answer your question."

He looked at her carefully and she was surprised when he didn't say anything else. She wondered if he understood that she needed more time. Her heart skipped a beat at his unusual understanding.

Without warning, he moved and sat beside her. She wrapped her arms protectively around her knees, unsure of what had just transpired. "Are we still friends?"

She angled her body towards him and found his amused smile. When he didn't answer, she assumed it was a yes. Another skip of her heart.

Then, her heart stopped being so excited. Its beat reduced and her heart felt heavy.

"How did you know I'd be here?" she questioned.

"I suppose I have a good memory."

* * *

_Six Years Ago_

Akari sat under the shady tree with the moonlight shining on her. She buried her face in her hands. She wanted so badly to cry, to get rid of the lump of her throat but she was too scared that if she did, she wouldn't know how to stop.

_"Akari, your mum and I have decided we-" he faltered._

_"We're not going to be living together anymore," she continued_

_Soft, gentle voice. "I'm so sorry honey." A sob._

Akari shut her eyes tightly and wished the memory away but it stayed, etched forever in her mind. She somehow knew that it was coming. She had heard their fights and seen the way their eyes had went from warm and light to dull and flat over the year. She was only ten and yet she could see the strangers they had become to each other.

"Akari?"

Her head shot up at the familiar voice. "Kyoya-kun?" she whispered.

He looked at her in concern and sat down beside her. "I heard about-" he stopped and didn't continue the sentence.

Her nails dug into her skin. "Oh."

Kyoya didn't say anything, he didn't offer kind words or sympathetic looks like everyone else. He just sat quietly beside her, unmoving.

"Kyoya-kun, I don't want to fall in love." A tear dribbled down her cheek. "Ever," she sobbed.

Then, she felt something warm lace between her fingers. She looked down and saw that Kyoya was holding her hand. She sobbed even louder. She continued to cry into the night and Kyoya sat beside her, his hand in hers, without a word.

* * *

Then, Akari felt them. Something warm and wet sliding down her cheeks. She swiped at them but they continued to flow like a river. A sob escaped her throat and her heart felt like lead.

She wanted so badly to stop but couldn't. Six years down the road and she still couldn't let it go. Forever standing still in the same cycle that repeated it self on this day every year. She was used to feeling overwhelming sadness on this day but being back here, with everything around her reminding her of the past so vividly, she couldn't help but fall apart.

A tree rooted to the ground with no signs of ever growing, changing and moving. The tree was her. She wanted to change but it was such a difficult thing to do. So, she stayed safe and sound as she watched the world pass her by.

Safe and miserable.

Then, she felt it. A warm arm wrapped around her. She stiffened, she had forgotten he was even here.

He didn't say anything, he just kept quiet. He didn't say she would get over it soon and he didn't try to wipe away her tears. He just pulled her close and let her cry.

She gripped his shirt and with a voice so small, it was barely audible, she said, "Thank you." She sucked in a deep breath, " Thank you for then and thank you for now."

She closed her eyes and lay her head against him. It was alright now. The ache was still there and but her tears had stopped and the throbbing had subsided She felt her lungs fill up with the cool air. The steady beat of his heart reminded her that she wasn't alone.

Some days-most especially this day- the world seemed upside down and turned inside out.

But in that moment...in that moment, unexpectedly, the world had righted itself again.

* * *

**Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter=)**

**I quite enjoyed writing this chapter**. **I wrote it cause I wanted Kyoya and Akari to have something more to their relationship instead of just the usual kiss-and-fall-for-you thing.**

**You know what to do right?**

**ReviewXD**


	10. Little Wonders

**Thank you so much for reviewing! I really don't want to get into why I haven't updated because its been rough and I basically lost inspiration but I'm feeling better now.  
**

**Disclaimer: ****Me + OHSHC = I don't own it. Steal my OC and there will be consequences.**

* * *

**Written by: **Ordinary Magic

**Nothing but you,**

**How I wish it wasn't so.**

**-  
**_It creeps in, like a spider  
Can't be killed, although I try and try to  
But don't you see I'm falling?  
Don't wanna love you  
But I do.  
__-Stop This Song by Paramore-__  
_**-****  
**

**Chapter 10 Little Wonders  
**

* * *

_Our lives are made  
In these small hours  
These little wonders,  
These twists & turns of fate  
Time falls away,  
But these small hours,  
These small hours still remain_

_**-Little Wonders by Rob Thomas-**  
_

* * *

Kyoya stood outside the bathroom, hair wet from the rain and clad in only a towel because his clothes had been taken to be washed and dried. He dragged himself to the shower and let the heat of the shower blast away until the whole bathroom fogged up. He stepped out and put on a shirt and pants that were sitting on the bed. _His_ shirt and pants which had been washed and dried in what seemed like lightning speed. As he dried his hair with the towel, he looked around the room curiously. The walls were a plain white and were a stark contrast to the small colourful clump in the middle. He walked up for a closer inspection and saw numerous pictures on the wall. Most were people he did not know bu the assumed were old school mates. Surprisingly, there was one with the Host Club.

However, it was the picture at the corner that caught his eye.

It was of a dark-haired boy, no older than 9 with an auburn-haired girl around the same age. They were sitting under a cherry blossom tree and the flowers were flying everywhere. She was laughing and he had small smile.

Kyoya stared at the picture for a few minutes before smiling. He looked around the room and wondered if there was anything else to see. He knew Akari was not comfortable with people invading her privacy, what more, _him._

Right on cue, there was a loud knock on the door. "Kyoya-senpai, I know you're done so get out of my room."

Kyoya calmly opened the door to find Akari standing at the doorway glaring. He smirked and she resisted the urge to smack him.

"This is all your fault you know."

Her annoyed tone of voice merely made him raise an eyebrow. "My fault?"

"You had to answer _my_ phone and tell _my_ mother that you were sending me home and that you would wait for me in my home until she came back from her shift."

"I'm not a weather man Akari, I didn't know it was going to pour and cause a flood."

"You still should have asked your driver to come and pick you up anyway. Does it really matter if you drown or not?"

"You seem quite unhappy."

"I hate you."

At that precise moment, the thunder rumbled.

* * *

_Earlier That Day_

Akari sat at the large kitchen table, spooning mouthful after mouthful of cereal into her mouth. She looked towards her right through the sliding glass doors into the garden where Tamaki was eagerly showing Haruhi the many different flowers that were blooming in the garden. His face was a mixture of happiness and enthusiasm while hers was one of annoyance but Akari didn't miss the occasional small smiles that Haruhi gave while Tamaki wasn't looking. She herself gave a slight smile before returning back to her cereal. She eyed the dark-haired guy standing in front of the coffee-maker with amusement.

Kyoya sighed in exasperation as he tried to figure out how to get the coffee maker to work. She bit back a laugh as Kyoya's expression became more and more annoyed by the second. He had asked her- no scratch that- _told_ her to help him just a few minutes ago. She declined and cited his rudeness as the reason. Akari couldn't help but feel this was the best decision she ever made.

Footsteps from behind ended her reverie and she tensed as she felt two arms drape themselves around her.

"Good morning," the twins greeted in unison.

She slapped their hands away and glared as menacingly as she could. This proved to be quite difficult as she couldn't really muster up so much energy so early in the morning. "Its too early in the morning for you guys to annoy me."

They leaned against the table and stared at her with innocent eyes, "Whatever do you mean?" They grinned simultaneously and each helped themselves to her cereal.

"Hikaru, Kaoru, if you don't stop ruining my breakfast, I swear I will kick you both so hard that you won't be able to feel anything for a week."

"Awww, look at cute little Akari," Hikaru said while pinching her cheeks.

"Trying to be tough," Kaoru said with a grin before taking her cup of coffee.

"Hey!"

"You have to help us out since the maids are not here," Kaoru stated like it obvious.

"You _were_ brought up as a commoner for 6 years," Hikaru continued.

"I will kill you."

They just laughed and sat opposite her. Akari watched as Kaoru placed _her_ coffee cup right beside him before sending a smirk her way.

She glared at the tall figure behind them and pouted. "A little help would be nice."

Kyoya turned away from the coffee maker, only to look blankly at her and then the twins. He paused slightly before raising her eyebrow at her. Then, without warning, he hit them both upside the head. They yelped and Akari snickered. However, her joy was short lived as Kyoya took _her_ cup of coffee and walked out the kitchen with it. Not before taking a long sip from it right in front of her.

Her attention went back to twins who were rubbing their slightly sore heads, both wearing a look of bewilderment and shock. She grinned and helped herself to another spoonful of cereal.

Hikaru and Kaoru pouted before leaning forward, "So, Kyoya-senpai listens to you," Hikaru stated with a devilish smile.

She swallowed her cereal and frowned, "What is that supposed to mean? And, why are you saying it in that creepy tone of yours?"

"Well,Kyoya-senpai doesn't usually get involved in our arguments but it seems for you he did," Kaoru stated matter-of-fact. "How long do you think your relationship with him will last?"

Akari's hand jerked at the word 'relationship' sprinkling milk all over the twins. "What the hell are you talking about? We're just friends."

Hikaru and Kaoru completely ignored her and leaned back. They contemplated for a while before Hikaru said, "I never thought he was the type to listen to _anyone_ besides his father and brothers."

"But with you, he seems a little different," Kaoru continued seriously.

Hikaru used one elbow to prop himself up and gazed at her seriously. "You can imagine our shock when we saw the both you under the tree and Kyoya-senpai was hugging you."

Akari nearly spit out her cereal at Hikaru's words and spluttered, "W-what?"

Kaoru nodded, casually ignoring her outburst, "We nearly died from the shock. Since when did the _he_ comfort people?"

"Usually he just says something wise or walks away," Hikaru said. "He can be really cold when he wants to be so to see him sitting there with you, well we didn't really know what to think."

Kaoru paused before continuing, "Plus, he's never been interested in a girl before."

Hikaru nodded in agreement but then added, "But then again neither have we or Tono until Haru-"

"But-" Kaoru shot Hikaru a death glare, "-this is Kyoya-senpai we're talking about. We always thought he would go after some rich girl who would get him on his father's good side."

"Guess we were wrong," they said while shrugging.

She just gaped at them. "We're just friends," she repeated.

They raised their eyebrows, "Right, friends who hug each other at night all alone under the stars," Hikaru said sarcastically.

"Kyoya-senpai doesn't hug any girl, he doesn't sit on the grass like some commoner with any girl. He doesn't do anything with any girl outside of the host club," Kaoru added.

Then, they grinned their evil Cheshire grin, "And when the both of you kiss, I'm sure you'll be his very-"

"-first kiss,"

They both puckered their lips and smacked it loudly.

She couldn't help it. She blushed. It was ridiculous but it was a good thing Hikaru and Kaoru were too busy making kissing noises to notice.

She silently took a deep breath and counted to ten before looking at them with a small smile. They stopped their kissing noises and looked at her, puzzled.

"So, when are you going to tell Haruhi that the both of you like her?" she said sweetly and innocently. If they were going to sit there and dissect her love life, then she felt the _obligation_ to do so as well. Revenge was sweet.

Now it was they who just stared at her, open-mouthed.

Akari smiled and leaned back casually in her chair, "Yeah, I know how the both of you feel about her. Its quite obvious really. Are you just going to pretend that everything will be fine and ignore your feelings? Let me tell you, it won't work. One day, you'll have to confront it. You can't keep pretending that you can _share_ her."

She paused and looked at them. Their eyes were serious and maybe just a little _sad_. There was slight pang in her heart and she inhaled and exhaled. "I stopped pretending but I still can't-" She stopped and sighed. "Its okay to take your time but just don't take too long. She won't wait forever," Akari glanced out the window to see Tamaki pulling Haruhi to admire a rose bush, "She might find someone else."

Kaoru looked at her seriously. "Are you scared, Akari?"

She stared at him. "Scared?"

"That's why you can't, isn't it?"

She just blinked calmly at him but could feel her pulse rate increasing.

"Are you more scared that he won't wait for you-" he paused and gazed at her, unmoving, "-or that he will?"

She was just silent.

Hikaru and Kaoru looked down at the wooden table and when they glanced up at her there was no mistaking the sadness in their eyes. She gave them a soft smile, "Don't worry, everything will work out. You guys-" She gestured around to them, "the Host Club, I mean is too strong a family for ties to break so easily."

With nothing more to say, she got up from the table to wash her bowl, Kaoru's question replaying in her mind. As she finished washing and drying, she placed in the cabinet she found it.

"You're part of it too, you know," Hikaru said.

She closed the cabinet doors and turned around to see the twins smiling at her. "Huh?"

"When you say the Host Club is a family, it means you too. You're a part of the Host Club," Hikaru explained.

"Whether you like it or not," Kaoru added.

"No thanks," she deadpanned.

Hikaru and Kaoru bounded up to her and hugged her tightly. "Don't pretend you don't care!" they all but yelled.

"We know you do!" the said in singsong.

The corners of her mouth twitched into a small smile. She couldn't help that happy, light feeling in her stomach.

"Akari, you're so cute when you smile!" Hikaru cooed.

"Stop having such a bad temper and be more loving!" Kaoru said with affection.

"Only, if you both stop acting like idiots."

"Akari! Why did you have to ruin the moment?" they whined.

Still, they didn't let go of her and she didn't even struggle away from them.

Not even once.

Suddenly, Tamaki burst into the kitchen practically glowing. "Good morning my dear niece! Come outside and witness the splendid beauty of the flowers in full bloom."

"No thanks," she replied curtly.

Tamaki grabbed her arm. "What? Why not? It is nature at its best." His eyes began to water. "You hate me?"

She sighed. "No, take me to witness this beauty of nature," she replied with no emotion.

Tamaki's face brightened and he happily dragged Akari outside to the and Kaoru were about to chug down their coffee and join them when Hunny and Mori walked into the kitchen.

"That was really very nice," Hunny said with his signature cute smile.

"Ah"

"Not really. Tono is always like this," Hikaru said offhandedly.

Hunny hopped onto one of the chairs opposite the twins and smiled. "No, not that. When Hika-chan, Kao-chan and Aka-chan were talking."

Hikaru and and Kaoru choked on the coffee they were drinking. "W-what? How much did you hear?" they cried out.

Hunny hugged his stuffed rabbit, Usa-chan tightly and shook his legs while looking at them innocently. "From the part where you said Kyo-chan listens to Aka-chan."

"So, everything," they said in horror.

"Mmmhmm." Hunny began to eat the cake that Mori had set in front of him. He took a big bite and chewed slowly before adding, "Kyo-chan was listening too."

Hikaru and Kaoru spat out their coffee and began coughing violently. A worried Hunny and Mori began thumping their backs. "Hika-chan, Kao-chan, are you okay?"

They looked at Honey incredulously. "NO! KYOYA-SENPAI IS GOING TO KILL US!"

Hunny looked thoughtful and then said, "I think he was going to but then Aka-chan started talking about the both of you, so he decided not to."

The twins breathed a sigh of relief.

"I still might though."

Hikaru and Kaoru jumped at the sound of Kyoya's voice. He calmly walked into the kitchen and placed his empty cup into the sink. He turned at gave Hikaru and Kaoru a sharp glare. They flinched accordingly.

"Aka-chan is a lot more observant and mature than she seems, ne?" Hunny said, interrupting Kyoya's annoyance and the twin's fear.

"You could say that," Kyoya said coolly.

Hunny gave Kyoya a small smile. "Ne, Kyo-chan? How long are you willing to wait?"

"You mean for the idiot."

Hunny laughed apprehensively. "Y-Yes."

Before he could formulate a response, the glass door opened with a bang and standing there with a scowl on her face was Akari. She paused for a moment and eyed everyone suspiciously. From Hunny sitting at the table innocently eating cereal, Mori who was standing over him with a blank expression, Kyoya who was calmly leaning against the window and Hikaru and Kaoru who seemed normal except for the frequent frightened expressions they occasionally threw to Kyoya. "Does anyone have a band aid? Tamaki-senpai cut himself trying to pick a rose like the idiot that he is."

Hikaru and Kaoru jumped up in excitement. "Is he crying?" they asked in delight before running out the door.

"Tama-chan cut himself?" Hunny exclaimed in worry.

"Let me get the first aid kit." Kyoya opened a drawer and produced a first aid kit with the Ootori logo on its front.

Akari looked at him weirdly. "Do you always have first aid kits just lying around?"

"Is it that surprising? My family does run a medical company."

She just sighed. "Lets just fix Tamaki's cut before he becomes all melodramatic."

"I can feel the blood gushing out and the life draining away from me."

Tamaki's loud, dramatic voice was followed by a smack that Haruhi had all but gladly given him. "Stop being so ridiculous," was her emotionless response.

"Don't worry Tama-chan, we're coming!" Hunny said with concern before running off to Tamaki with Mori following idly behind.

Akari walked out, somewhat annoyed at the nuisance Tamaki was causing. She stopped when she noticed Kyoya wasn't following. She turned around and looked at him expectantly. "Kyoya-senpai, what are you waiting for?"

"I think the better question is 'who,' " Hunny said, suddenly appearing out of nowhere.

Akari jumped in surprise. "Gah! Hunny-senpai, please don't do that!"

Hunny just laughed and ran off while Kyoya-senpai just smirked and walked behind the small senior.

Akari just stood there in confusion. "Just when I began to think everyone here was normal."

* * *

"You're making dinner?"

Akari shot a glare at Kyoya who was standing at the kitchen entrance, arms folded, looking every bit the cool type that the customers of the host club knew him as. She turned her back to him and continued cutting up vegetables. "I am making dinner for myself if that's what you're asking. You can just eat some paper or something."

"Still annoyed I see."

His voice was so close that she jumped. Her head whipped around to find Kyoya right behind her, with amusement clearly written all over his face. She narrowed her eyes, took a deep breath, decided he wasn't worth getting worked up and continued with her vegetable cutting.

Kyoya took a step closer and casually placed both arms at either side of her, trapping her between the table and him. Her breath hitched and she became too nervous to even cut up the vegetables. She placed the knife down, inhaled then exhaled. "Kyoya-senpai, what are you doing?"

"You didn't really expect me to leave you home by yourself while it was raining did you?"

"Its not like I haven't been home alone before."

"Throughout the night? If I recall correctly, every time Nanami-san had to work overnight, you always spend your time at Kanako-san's house." He paused momentarily. "She's not home today is she?"

"No, she's in Okinawa with her family," Akari admitted. "But how did you know my mum would be stuck in the hospital because of the flood?"

"I didn't but I knew there was a possibility of it happening since the news did forecast a heavy downpour."

Akari sighed and relented. "Fine, thank you." She pause then grinned, "Thank you for caring."

She just smiled when he didn't say anything. She was about to get back to cooking when he leaned in closer, so much so that his cheek was lightly grazing hers. "What are you making?"

Their sudden proximity made her mind a little slow. After a few seconds of delay, she replied, trying her best to sound nonchalant, "Miso soup, sardine and rice."

"That's quite commoner of you."

"Well, I was raised as one for six years," she replied somewhat annoyed at the term 'commoner.' "Since you're so free, invading my personal space and all, go and get the tofu and sardine."

He chuckled before taking a step back and finally Akari felt she could breathe properly again. She sighed before continuing her work with the vegetables.

"Akari, where is the tofu?"

Akari looked up and nodded towards the fridge. She looked back at the cutting board and saw the gleaming knife poised above her finger where the green onion was supposed to be. There was red liquid dripping from the knife and then she saw the cut along her finger. That was when she felt the pain. "Damn it."

Before she could even react, Kyoya's two hands had placed themselves on her shoulders and steered her towards the sink. He reached over and turned on the tap before taking Akari's hand and placing it under the cold running water.

"Ouch," Akari mumbled as her cut stung from the running water.

"You should have been more careful," he said. She mumbled something incoherent and watched as the cut finally stopped bleeding.

He made her sit down on one the two chairs he pulled out. She quietly did as she was told and watched as Kyoya open the first aid kit that seemed to have appeared from nowhere.

"Seriously, where did you get this?"

He just smirked at her and grabbed her hand. "You don't have to be so rough," she complained.

"Come closer," he commanded.

She hesitated before pulling her chair closer to him. She held in a yelp when the iodine he dabbed on made the pain sear. As he treated her cut, all she could think of was how warm his hands were against her icy cold skin. The rain was beating down, making the already cool day all the more colder and she couldn't help but wonder how his hands were still warm.

"For someone who's known as the cool type, you have warm hands," she said without thinking. She mentally slapped herself as soon as the words came out.

"The cool type simply refers to my personality not my actual body temperature."

"I don't know, I guess I always imagined you'd be cold-blooded just like your personality."

"I think we need to review on how you view my character."

She just shrugged as he finished wrapping the medical tape around her finger. "Maybe."

* * *

Akari plopped down on the floor, feeling quite content after a nice hot meal. She looked over and saw Kyoya standing in front of the bookshelf and looking at the books on display. Feeling oddly curious, and in a much better mood after having her stomach filled, she walked over to Kyoya. "Whatcha doing?"

"You have a surprisingly large variety of books," he said casually while flipping through a book.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you mean by surprising?"

When he just ignored her, she rolled her eyes. She noticed that his eyes had rested on a cookbook, 'Even a Monkey Can Cook.'

"I see you've spotted your kind of book but I would have thought you would have preferred something about a cold, heartless man taking over the world."

Her lips twitched upwards, thoroughly enjoying annoying him as much as he did to her. He turned around to face her, folded his arms and leaned against the bookshelf. "I suppose now would be a good time to talk on how you view my personality."

Akari just grinned. She looked up at his face and paused. "Ah, Kyoya-senpai, I think you have something on your hair."

Without even thinking or considering her actions, she placed her left hand on his shoulder and tiptoed, stretching her right hand to pick off the white speck sitting on his black hair. She stopped just as she got it and held her breath. Her biggest mistake was looking into his eyes. She stood frozen in position as his grayish black eyes stared into her own eyes. Her heart began to beat faster and she felt her cheeks heat up.

"Its just dust," she mumbled as her right hand fell to her side.

A small smirk played across his lips. "Thank you for getting it, Akari."

Her heart skipped a beat when he said her name, it didn't help that their faces were so close. She quickly took a step back and averted her eyes from him. She scratched her unitchy head and looked around awkwardly. "Ummm...so I'll just get you some blankets and pillows."

He raised an eyebrow and folded his arms, "Aren't I sleeping in your room?"

Her cheeks heated up at his suggestion and she glared at the spot between his eyes, "You're kidding right?"

"I assumed as the guest that you would offer me your room."

She rolled her eyes and managed to look at him in the eye, "Please. You're sleeping on the floor in the living room." She walked into her room and opened a drawer where the extra blankets were kept. She grabbed all of them including a pillow and walked over to the living room.

Kyoya stood at the doorway and watched as Akari arranged everything on the floor. In no time, she had made part of the living room look like a nest. Kyoya walked in as she walked out.

"Good night," she said as she stood at the doorway.

He stood over the pile of blankets, hands in his pockets. "Good night-" he turned and looked at her, "-idiot."

* * *

_Yoshio Ootori looked at his nine year old son sternly._

_"Kyoya, what exactly do you think you will gain if you do not try to follow in your brother's footsteps?"_

_"Yes father."_

_"I hope you know that it is your duty as the third son to support your brothers."_

_"I underst-"_

_"What the heck does that even mean?"_

_Yoshio looked at the small girl standing in his study room with shock as did Kyoya._

_But Akari just ignored their expressions and continued on. "Just because he's the third son doesn't mean he's just relegated to supporting." She looked at Yoshio defiantly. "He can be so much more."_

Kyoya got up from the floor with a jolt, the memory still playing in his mind. He sat up and noticed the blankets and cushions were all over the place. He sighed and rubbed his forehead, knowing it would be near impossible to fall back asleep. Not that he actually did to begin with, having just dozed off for half an hour. It was mainly due to the fact that he found the floor ridiculously uncomfortable, having never had to _sleep_ on one before. There was another thing though, something that he couldn't quite register but his heart knew it had everything to do with the sleeping girl inside the room. He sighed again.

He looked around the darkened living area, wondering why he expected her to emerge from the sliding door and tell him to come in and share the futon. Part of him wanted to kick himself for being such a sap over a girl. Never in his life had he thought a girl could make him this way but as he looked to the sliding doors that led to her room, he knew that she was not just a girl.

Kyoya was smart, he known for a while how he felt for Akari but a part of him, a huge part tried to ignore it, pretend it wasn't there much like what she did. But the more he tried, the more real it became. Suddenly, he was acting in a way he couldn't explain, saying things he never would have thought possible and feeling things that he never had. When he accepted it however, it was as if he was seeing a different scenery. As if he wasn't just standing watching the sea but actually feeling the waves crash against his legs.

From the moment they met, their personalities clashed. Her loud and obnoxious and him cool and calm. Their constant bickering and annoyance towards one another was never ending. Despite the years that had grown between them, this element of their strange relationship persisted.

And maybe to the many outsiders that observed them, that was all. But there was more.

So much more and Kyoya knew all too well.

She was first girl that he gave his trust to, the first girl that ever came close, the first girl that fought against him and the first girl to stand up for him.

There was never much time to relax in his life, with his father's expectations, his brother's grievances towards him, everyone looking at him through a magnifying glass, analyzing his every move. Sure, he was confident and smart and he exceeded all expectations and found it all extremely interesting. It was all just a challenging game to him, after all but there was something about the _way_ she was. She saw him in a way few have. When she wasn't busy trying to throw things his way, the way she looked him was unexplainable. When everything went quiet, she would sometimes just look at him. He liked the way she looked at him, like she saw something different. Something past the person everyone saw him as. Something that made her stay by his side after all this time.

She gave him something no one could have. Peace.

She was there, not letting go and never giving up on him, even when he hurt her, even when he didn't deserve any of her, she still was there.

He stared at the door and knew that he would most likely open them and come in only to have her scream and yell at him about invasion of personal space before kicking him out.

Then, before he knew it he was standing in front of her door, sliding it open slowly. He stepped in and saw her sleeping figure curled up under the blankets. He watched her sleeping for a minute before climbing in carefully so as not to wake her. He inched closer to her without really touching her.

He knew he was probably going to have face a very angry Akari when she woke up but it was nothing he couldn't handle.

* * *

Akari's eyes fluttered open at the sudden movement in her futon. She looked beside her immediately shot up.

"What the hell are you doing here, Kyoya-senpai?" Her voice rang across the room in shock and anger.

Kyoya sat up and looked at Akari calmly. "The floor was too uncomfortable."

"So, you decided to sneak in and sleep here?"

"Well, yes."

Her eye twitched as she heard his cool voice and and watched his indifferent face. To him, sneaking into her room seemed like the most normal thing in the world. "I am going to kill you."

Kyoya just looked at her. "Lets just go back to sleep. Its too late in the night to be making so much noise."

Akari just stared at the Kyoya, anger bubbling over the surface. As she glared at Kyoya, the anger began to dissipate as it always did whenever it came to him. She stared into his eyes before relenting. "Fine."

As Akari placed her head back down on her pillow, she felt a light feeling in her stomach as Kyoya lied down beside her. Suddenly, lightning flashed and a deafening sound of thunder followed, making Akari jump and she instinctively grabbed Kyoya's hand. Just as she was about to let go in embarrassment, his fingers intertwined with hers and held on.

She shifted around uncomfortably, and felt a heavy feeling in her chest. One she was not accustomed to. Guilt. She pinched the bridge of her nose and swallowed her pride. "I'm sorry for making you sleep on the floor."

Kyoya chuckled softly, "Feeling guilty?"

"Do you always have to make me want to take back my words?" she deadpanned.

His thumb began to rub the back of her palm in slow and smooth circles. "Not always."

He let go of her hand and placed it around her waist, pulling her towards him until her face was at the nook of his shoulder. The hand around her waist traveled to her back, running up and down in slow, even motions.

"W-what are you doing?" she spluttered.

"You're cold, Akari," he stated matter-of-fact.

It was then that she realized how cold she actually was. His body was so warm next to hers, that she cuddled up closer to him, wanting more of his warmth. She breathed in his smell and sighed, unsure of what she was _supposed_ to feel at this point. She hated the way he could make her feel safe and warm, like no one else could. She hated the way she felt when he said her name. She felt special, wanted and needed in his eyes, when he said her name. She _hated_ that she felt that way. All she wanted was to rip that feeling out and lock it in a drawer so that it never saw the light of day again.

He could be cold and calculating and sometimes she wanted a piano to fall on him for even having the audacity to be so manipulative. He had no qualms about using underhanded methods to get what he wanted, he was devious and cold and could at times seem heartless.

But she knew that wasn't all that he was, even if he tried to pretend that it was. That's why it was so hard to lock away that feeling in a drawer.

Her voice was light and teasing as she said, "You know Kyoya-senpai, you're a lot more warm than cool."

"I'm afraid I don't understand," was his blunt reply.

"You pretend to be all cool and indifferent but you're actually a very intense person." Her eyes began to feel heavy and she stifled a yawn. "You can lie to me all you want but I _know_."

"So much for me being cold-blooded," he replied nonchalantly.

"I never really thought that. I find it funny when people think so though," she said with a soft laugh, trying to keep her eyes open as tiredness began to overwhelm her.

There was only silence as Kyoya didn't say anything. She slowly started to drift to sleep when he didn't say anything and everything was beginning to fade away but before she did sleep, she said, her voice barely audible, "I still hate you though."

Kyoya's lips twitched upwards at her words. "I know you do."

* * *

**Hope you liked it :)  
**


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